A baker’s dozen of international and domestic media outlets are asking the British Columbia Supreme Court to allow a live broadcast extradition hearings for Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou.
Lawyer Daniel Coles represents 13 outlets including CBC and Canadian Press and argues that video and webcasting the proceedings would epitomize “open and accessible justice in the modern era.”
Meng, Huawei’s chief financial officer, was detained nearly a year ago on Dec. 1, 2018 while transiting through Vancouver International Airport.
She is wanted in the United States for fraud and conspiracy charges related to Huawei’s alleged violations of U.S. sanctions against Iran.
Hearings in Meng’s case are scheduled to start in January and Coles’ broadcasts requests to B.C.’s superior court will be made piecemeal, according to a Canadian Press story with applications pending for additional hearing dates, expected to stretch into the fall of 2020.
While there is no official edict or policy governing live broadcasting from Canadian courts, judges are permitted discretion in such matters.