Judge gets upset after learning court sessions were being streamed live

The school claims that the said parents did not pay as demanded hence their children did not attend lessons from May 15, 2018. It is upon this background that the school engaged a debt collector to collect the said outstanding amount on its behalf but in vain. The school through its lawyers wants the court to compel the parents to pay the outstanding fees balance.

What you need to know:

  • Former Lord’s Resistance Army rebel commander Kwoyelo’s pretrial hearing that was conducted on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday was streamed live on youtube courtesy of Refugee Law Project, but the judge had no knowledge of it.

There was drama on Friday at Gulu High court when Justice Suzan Okalany, the presiding judge in Thomas Kwoyelo’s pretrial hearing got uneasy after learning the court session was being streamed live. Former Lord’s Resistance Army rebel commander Kwoyelo’s pretrial hearing that was conducted on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday was streamed live on youtube courtesy of Refugee Law Project, but the judge had no knowledge of it.

The Judge had just finished delivering her ruling into submissions made by Kwoyelo’s defence counsel when she learnt through Dalton Opwonya that the court session was being viewed globally. It started with a discussion on the privacy of the prosecution and defense teams who complained that they were being photographed in court by some ‘journalists’ whom they don’t know.

But Mr Opwonya later showed his laptop in which he was watching the live court session to the judge to confirm that even if they were complaining of being photographed, the world was watching them. This didn’t go well with the judge.

“Oh no no, what…., this court session was being watched live and who is streaming that? So people have internet here. Have they also shown my face on their camera?” the judge asked in a rather worried tone, sending people into laughter in the court room.
She calmed down only after being told it was Refugee Law Project behind the live streaming and that her face wasn’t shown as ways of protecting her identity.