New Power Party Legislator Hsu Yung-ming (徐永明) earlier this week called on the Judicial Yuan to allow live broadcasts of court procedures.
Hsu said that live broadcasts of talks between the ruling and opposition parties in the Legislative Yuan began on Monday and he did not understand why court procedures could not follow suit with live broadcasts.
Hsu said that the Organic Act for Courts (法院組織法) stipulates that recordings can be made, provided the presiding judge agrees, adding that in the US and Canada there have been instances of live broadcasts or recordings being uploaded to the Internet.
Britain broadcasts court proceedings live on TV, and even China, which may not be up to the same standards as Taiwan in terms of its levels of democracy or rule of law, is allowing direct broadcasting of court proceedings, Hsu said.
Judicial Yuan Deputy Secretary-General Lin Chin-chun (林勤純) said there was no precedent for the live broadcast of court proceedings, but added that the Judicial Yuan has been discussing the matter.
There are some judges who think that while direct broadcasts of court proceedings in other nations help to educate people about the courts and make proceedings more transparent, there are concerns about privacy and the use of recordings as evidence, Lin said.
Hsu said such arguments are flimsy, as foreign nations have faced the same concerns but nonetheless decided to go ahead with live broadcasts, adding that Taiwanese are allowed to watch court proceedings, which carries the same problems, if to a lesser degree.
Many people see the judicial system as distant and inflexible, Hsu said, adding that the Judicial Yuan should be more active in addressing such concerns.
The Judicial Yuan would take a broad range of opinions into account prior to making a decision, Lin said, adding that the Judicial Yuan has not yet scheduled a discussion on the issue.
“We will study the laws of other nations and our own,” Lin said, adding that the judges’ primary concerns are the protection of the public’s right to privacy, and the balance of power.
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