Media access to virtual trial court sessions has been restricted until further notice.
In a statement to BVI News, the deputy governor’s office, which has responsibility for the local justice portfolio, said the only hearings the media will have access to are arrest cases until court resumes. face-to-face procedures.
“The sessions of the Court of First Instance are hosted on the platform, Zoom and based on the current settings of the software, the magistrate is not able to control media access to cases and information which may be deemed sensitive due to a lag in internet speed,” the deputy governor’s office said in response to questions from our news center.
“This, as you can imagine, puts the trust of the justice system in a special position if sensitive information is placed in the public domain because a media house is in session by mistake,” he added. .
The deputy governor’s office added that the operations of the court, especially matters relating to security, fall under the jurisdiction of the senior magistrate.
BVI News has learned that the directive was issued by Senior Magistrate Tamia Richards.
Our news center was further informed that the media will be updated once things return to in-person hearings.
The trial court moved hearings entirely online when it reopened on January 10, at a time when COVID-19 cases were rising in the territory.
The court was due to resume in-person hearings at the end of January, but the high caseload prevented that from happening.
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