The president of the Overseas Press Club of Puerto Rico, Wilma Maldonado, and the president of the Association of Journalists of Puerto Rico, Nydia Bauzá, expressed their rejection of a proposed bill that would prohibit the transmission of pre-trial hearings. The bill, Project 1211, introduced by Representative Gabriel Rodríguez Aguiló, would add a clause to the Criminal Procedure Rules to explicitly prohibit the transmission, dissemination, or publication of pre-trial hearing content in real-time.
Maldonado and Bauzá argued that this proposal is another attempt by the Legislative Assembly to limit transparency, following recent approvals of statutes that have restricted access to public information. Currently, transmissions in courtrooms require authorization from the Supreme Court, and the proposed prohibition would apply to all parties, their representatives, media, and anyone present in the courtroom or with access to the procedure.
Violation of the proposed law could result in contempt of court and sanctions.