Opposition Spokesman on Justice, Delroy Chuck, has described as "tyrannical" new measures introduced by a court official at the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's (Criminal) Court, which effectively places a gag on reporters covering court proceedings.

Several journalists have complained that restrictions imposed by the court official have made it extremely difficult for them to collect information during trials.

No seats are provided for the court reporters in any of the courtrooms, forcing them to sit with members of the public at the back of the courtroom. The reporters complained that it was difficult to hear what the Resident Magistrate or the Clerk of the Courts was saying from where they were now sitting, because there are no microphones in the courtrooms.

"I went to sit at the front in one of the courtrooms so I could hear what was taking place, but a resident magistrate told me to sitat the back," one reporter told The Gleaner on Tuesday.

"It is clear that the press has a duty to the public to inform and educate, and if a gag order has been placed on the press it is wrong, tyrannical and unworthy of who imposes that order," Chuck said in a Gleaner interview yesterday.

Remove that imposition

Mr. Chuck, an attorney-at-law, called for Justice Minister A.J. Nicholson and Chief Justice Lensley Wolfe to instruct the relevant court to "remove that unworthy imposition".

In recent times, journalists have had to ask the Clerk of the Courts or the police to furnish them with information on what charges were brought against the accused and when the offence was allegedly committed.

The court has made a decision not to provide information on the address or age of the accused, but only release the date of the offence and the name of the alleged offender.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Justice, Carol Palmer, told The Gleaner Power 106 News yesterday that clerks of the courts are not authorised spokespersons for the court.

She also said the clerks should not share court files with the public as they often contain sensitive documents affecting the freedom of persons.

At the same time she acknowledged that the courtroom is a public place.