Dmitry Uryakin has evaluated bills on virtual court hearings

Since mid-March, in connection with the coronavirus pandemic, Russian courts have only considered cases that do not require the parties to be called, as well as those of an urgent nature. Senators Alexei Russkikh and Andrei Klishias have initiated bills allowing parties to participate in online hearings. A hearing in this format must be pre-approved by the court, and the identities of participants must be confirmed through a portal of state and municipal services.

As Maxim Legal Associate, Dmitry Uryakin, explained to the Profile magazine, virtual hearings will reduce the time and financial costs to individuals and organisations and speed up trials. Courts already use video conferencing, for example, to communicate with participants in a process located in another region, but this requires a physical presence in the nearest courthouse, although the courts can refuse to facilitate this.

To read the full article (in Russian), please see the Profile website >>>