Article 208. Court session

Proceedings shall be held in an open court session with mandatory notification of persons participating in the case.

Closed court sessions shall be held in cases envisaged by law, at the request of the persons participating in the case or upon court's initiative.

The open court sessions may be held in the mode of videoconferencing. Participation in a court session in a videoconferencing mode stipulated by this Code shall be equal to direct participation in a court session held orally.

Audio or video recording of the court hearing may be made at the initiative of the court or at the request of the participants of the court proceedings.

Should the holding of the court session in the videoconferencing mode be required, as well as when using audio- or video recording equipment for the court session, the court shall warn thereon the persons participating in the case and other participants of the court proceedings.

Participants in the trial and those present in the courtroom have the right to make written notes. Photographs, audio and video recordings of the court session, as well as broadcast in the mass media shall be allowed with the consent of the parties and with the permission of the presiding judge.

When a ruling is issued on holding a court hearing in closed session, the persons participating in the closed court hearing shall be warned not to disclose, without the courtʼs permission, information and details of the court proceedings, and a written undertaking shall be obtained from them. The written undertaking shall also include a warning that liability for breach of this obligation is provided under Article 239 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan.