The SMC in partnership with the Judiciary has this morning organised a case review session at the Seychelles Judiciary Ile du Port. The new initiative allows for the media to have a platform to discuss coverage of cases to have been gone before the supreme court this past six months. Amongst all the cases that have gone before the courts, the State vs Carlos Cafrine has been the most prominent.
The meeting brought together editors and journalists from the Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation, Today in Seychelles and Seychelles Nation. The session also welcomed representatives from the BAR Association, namely Ms. Alexandra Benoiton and Mr. Audrick Govinden. Representative from the Judiciary, were Ms. Danielle Coetzer, Legal Research Counsel and Mrs. Sasha Lee-Marivel, Public Relations Officer.
Discussions evolved around issues of accessibility and support given by the Judiciary. Concerns were raised on the amount of 'in camera' sessions held during the case and how this greatly affected coverage and access to information relating to the murder case.
The review session, an initiative of the SMC follows the Editors Forum held in November 2023, the Lecture on Court Reporting held in May of this year. The media recognises the efforts put in by the judiciary to improve on its engagement with the media practitioners designated for court reporting.
The next review session will be held next year.