Qualification Commission not considers ban on recording court hearing to be violation

The High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine refused to prosecute judge of Shostka District Court Mykhailo Svynenko, who banned a journalist from recording open court hearing with a voice recorder.

This is reported by Human Rights Information Centre journalist Mykola Ivashchenko, who sent the relevant complaint to the High Qualification Commission of Judges.

Spokesperson for the Qualification Commission Anastasia Zarytska asked the Commission to unite all 20 complaints from the citizens as “the addresses for similar reasons.” The Commission supported this proposal, without hearing the journalist who was present at the meeting.

Thereafter, the spokesperson announced that the actions of judges had no evidence of misconduct and the disciplinary committee voted for rejection of opening a disciplinary case within the framework of the united proceeding.

As a reminder, judge Mykhailo Svynenko at the two court hearings in 2014 demanded that journalist Mykola Ivashchenko stopped recording the open hearing with a voice recorder. According to the judge, the journalist had to file the relevant motion.

Mykola Ivashchenko filed the lawsuit against the Shostka City Council because of the alleged unlawful restrictions on the access to the entire text of the general town planning scheme. The claim of the journalist was not sustained in any court instances of Ukraine, but the case is going to be considered at the European Court of Human Rights.