GYLA Hopes Parliament Will Not Deteriorate Transparency Standards

The Georgian Young Lawyers Association (GYLA) has responded to the changes of rules of video recording at the Parliament of Georgia.

The GYLA representatives noted that the parliament is discussing the new draft-regulations in closed regime.

 “The Parliament would rather put its efforts forth to prevent violations of various types instead of introducing additional restrictions for journalists. We hope the new time-limit regulations of the Parliament are not going to worsen current transparency standards, on the contrary, will be conducive to raising them following Parliament’s dislocation to Kutaisi. The new regulations shall focus on the eradication of present shortcomings, including aggravating the punishment for the breached regulations, as well as establishment longer terms for legislative procedures and for clearer definition of those regulations,” reads the statement released by GYLA.

In its statement of February 7 (responding to the opening of the spring session) GYLA focused on the violations identified at the legislative body last year and called upon the Parliament for transparency.

“We also call upon the Parliament of Georgia to make the working process on the new regulation public and to allow interested parties to involve in the draft elaboration process,” the statement reads.

Journalists will not be allowed to work with individual cameras after the next convocation of the parliament. Supposedly, the restrictions will work in the parliamentary committees too.

The parliamentary procedural and regulation committee is working on the draft regulations which will be initiated at the spring session.

The Committee Chairwoman Khatuna Gogorishvili said the next convocation parliament will have a media center where journalists will be allowed to watch all eight cameras installed in the session hall and record the desired part of video afterwards.

The new regulations will also regulate voters’ relation with MPs.

IPN