Access to the court is permitted, but recording is prohibited. Journalists Leave the Aziz Voitov's court

Journalists are unable to cover the trial of former Minister of Agriculture Aziz Voitov and 49 other individuals. This restriction was due to a request from the defendants and their lawyers to ban media presence during the court session.

Today, on September 6, the second court session took place at the Yunusabad District Court for criminal cases.

Notably, the public prosecutor, who is supposed to advocate for transparency in the judiciary and support journalistic coverage of court proceedings, also opposed the media's involvement in this trial.

Sardor Sodikov, the judge of the Mirabad District Court for criminal cases, partially accepted the requests and allowed journalists to report only limited information without using video or audio recordings.

In response, the journalists left the courtroom, refusing to cover the trial under these restrictive conditions.

Yesterday, on September 5, during the first court session, many lawyers strongly objected to the participation of the media, even labeling journalists as "foreign agents" and accusing them of "exaggerating the news."

"Each person attending the court must verify their identity. I don’t know any of these journalists; I’m seeing them for the first time today. That's why I don't trust them. How do we know they aren't foreign agents? Therefore, no journalist should be admitted to these court hearings," said one of the lawyers, who wished to remain anonymous.

Judge Sardor Sadikov reminded everyone that since the court is open, journalists are allowed to attend based on the proper credentials. However, if the lawyers submit a motion, the court will consider whether to admit journalists to future sessions.

Temur Rahmatov, one of the defense attorneys, accused journalists of spreading false information, citing a report that claimed former minister Aziz Voitov had already been sentenced to seven years in prison. Rahmatov argued against media participation, emphasizing the importance of adhering to the presumption of innocence when reporting on the trial.

Another lawyer accused journalists of "exaggeration" and "spreading lies."

The journalists argued that public oversight is essential in a case of this magnitude and assured that all information would be provided by the Supreme Court’s information service, with respect for the presumption of innocence.

After lengthy discussions, Judge Sadikov announced that the issue of media participation would be addressed at the next court session based on the motion submitted by the defense lawyers.

For context, according to the indictment, the defendants are charged with committing crimes under Articles 167, 168, 184, 185-2, 189, 205, 206, 28, 209, 211, 228, and 243 of the Criminal Code.

As a precautionary measure, "arrest" was applied to 29 defendants, "bail" to 15, and "good behavior bond" to 6.