We condemn the approval of abusive restrictions on media access to court premises and call on the SCM to repeal the regulations without delay

The Independent Journalism Center, together with the co-signing organizations, condemns the approval by the Superior Council of Magistracy of abusive regulations on press access to court premises and calls for their immediate repeal.

On April 8, 2025, the Superior Council of Magistracy (SCM) approved a framework regulation on access to court premises (see min. 51:59, video recording of the meeting). At present, the approved version of the document is to be published in the Official Gazette. The CSM website only contains the draft Regulation, which was published on April 3. It was placed in one of the sections that are not displayed on the front page (the “For public discussion” section), meaning that access to the document is limited. According to SCM member Ioana Chironeț, the initiative has not undergone any changes (Quote: “This regulation was consulted with all courts. Proposals were received and examined, and the regulation was clarified and published on the website of the Superior Council of Magistracy for consultation. No additional proposals were received.”

We condemn both the lack of transparency and the underestimation by the SCM Plenary of the importance of a detailed and nuanced review of the proposed regulations, based on the recommendations of stakeholders – other than the courts – and experts in the relevant field, as well as the Regulation itself.

The document imposes unjustified and abusive restrictions on the press and undermines the journalistic mission to inform citizens about issues of public interest, including those relating to the administration of justice.

Among other things, the Regulation stipulates that representatives of the press may only have access to court hearings after requesting (preferably 24 hours before the visit) to be registered with the “specialist responsible for public relations.” The registration request must be accompanied by an “accreditation” granted by the “Audiovisual Coordination Council” – an authority that has not been known by this name since 2019.

Furthermore, according to the document, to enter court premises without the purpose of attending court hearings (for example, to interview participants in the proceedings, before/after the hearing or to take pictures of them, n.a.), journalists must obtain, in addition to that “accreditation” from the Audiovisual Council, an approval from the (vice) president of the court.

Although the Regulation has not yet entered into force because it has not been published in the Official Gazette, reporters have already reported cases of unjustified obstruction of access to public court hearings, with magistrates invoking this document.

The signatory organizations recognize the need to regulate access to the courts to ensure public order and the proper functioning of the courts, including in their interactions with the press. However, abusive provisions and unjustified restrictions on journalists, approved without consultation with stakeholders, undermine press freedom and are unacceptable in a democratic society.

We call on the SCM to revoke its own decision to approve the Regulation on access to court premises.

Independent Journalism Center

Organizations that have joined the statement:

Media-Guard Association

Access-Info Center

Electronic Press Association

Association of Environmental and EcoTourism Journalists

Center for Investigative Journalism

Independent Press Association

Committee for Freedom of the Press

RISE Moldova