The Litvinenko Inquiry

The Litvinenko Inquiry
proceedings. This was in practice superseded by the arrangements set out in the
protocol described in paragraph 98 below.
95. I made clear that mobile devices were not to be used in the hearing rooms at any
time to make or receive telephone calls, to take photographs or to undertake audio or
video recording.
Public access to hearings
96. For the substantive hearings, the Inquiry used Court 73 in the Royal Courts of Justice
as the main hearing room, together with Court 66 as an additional media annex/
overflow room. Proceedings in Court 73 were relayed to Court 66 by a closed circuit
videolink, and screens in Court 66 reproduced documents and the live transcript
shown on the display screens in Court 73.
97. Normally, members of the media and the public were freely admitted to both hearing
rooms. However, because there was a risk that some of the sensitive information
protected by restriction notices or restriction orders might be disclosed, inadvertently
or otherwise, during the course of the open hearings, all open hearings were conducted
under one of the sets of measures set out in a protocol issued on 9 December 2014.
98. Under the default measures:
a. The public and press would be afforded unrestricted access to the main hearing
room, subject to physical capacity constraints
b. Proceedings in the main hearing room would be relayed to the media annex by
means of a video feed that was delayed by 5 minutes
c. The use of mobile electronic devices in the main hearing room would be prohibited
to all persons other than me, legal representatives and security cleared Inquiry
staff
d. The use of such devices would be permitted (on the terms set out in the protocol
on the use of live text based communications in the hearing rooms) in the media
annex
e. A transcript of proceedings would be posted on the Inquiry website at the end of
each day
99. Under enhanced measures:
a. The public and press would be excluded from the main hearing room, although
access would still be permitted for both the public and the press to the media
annex
b. Proceedings in the main hearing room would be relayed to the media annex by
means of a video feed that was delayed by 5 minutes
c. The use of mobile electronic devices in the Inquiry room would be prohibited to
all persons other than me, legal representatives and security cleared Inquiry staff
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