MOSCOW, September 25 - RAPSI. The complete live broadcasting of trials will be possible if the law on courts is amended, Moscow City Court Chairperson Olga Yegorova said in a TV Center program.
Today, the broadcasting of witness testimonies and the examination of evidence is prohibited in Russia. Yegorova noted that live broadcasting has been held from the trial of mixed martial artist Rasul Mirzayev, who has been charged in Ivan Agafonov's death, as well as from the trial of the Pussy Riot punk band members.
"We did not show the examination of the evidence as the law prohibits this from being done. It should be amended, so that we can broadcast all the proceedings live," Yegorova said.
She added that discussions are underway regarding whether the live broadcasting of witness testimonies and the examination of evidence is permissible.
Earlier, experts said live broadcasting at such stages in a trial should not be allowed because witnesses should not know what preceding witnesses have said.
Yegorova said live broadcasting will make the administration of justice more open and increase trust in the judicial system.
Mirzayev was initially charged with intentionally inflicting grievous bodily harm, resulting in the death of 19-year-old student Agafonov. During their fight outside a Moscow nightclub, Agafonov received a blow to the head and collapsed. He died in a hospital several days later without regaining consciousness.
On February 21, five members of Pussy Riot wearing brightly colored masks stormed the altar of Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral to perform an anti-Putin protest song entitled, "Holy Sh*t." Shortly thereafter, an edited video of the performance was uploaded on to the Internet and incited a major public outcry. In early August, the group's members Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alyokhina, and Yekaterina Samutsevich were convicted of disorderly conduct and sentenced to two years in prison.