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Moreover, security problems, although being a common feature of many criminal proceedings, rarely justify excluding the public from a trial (see Riepan v. Austria, no. 35115/97, § 34, ECHR 2000-XII).

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Thus, it may on occasion be necessary under Article 6 to limit the open and public nature of proceedings in order, for example, to protect the safety or privacy of witnesses, or to promote the free exchange of information and opinion in the pursuit of justice (see B. and P. v. the United Kingdom, nos. 36337/97 and 35974/97, § 37, ECHR 2001-III, with further references).

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It does not only prohibit the premature expression by the tribunal itself of the opinion that the person "charged with a criminal offence" is guilty before he has been so proved according to law, but also covers statements made by other public officials about pending criminal investigations which encourage the public to believe that the suspect is guilty and prejudge the assessment of the facts by the competent judicial authority (for a recapitulation of the relevant case-law, see, for example, Khuzhin and Others v. Russia, no. 13470/02, § 93, 23 October 2008).

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The Court also observes that there is a high expectation of publicity in ordinary criminal proceedings, which may well concern dangerous individuals, notwithstanding the attendant security problems (see Campbell and Fell v. the United Kingdom, 28 June 1984, § 87, Series A no. 80).

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The Court reiterates that the presumption of innocence enshrined in Article 6 § 2 of the Convention is one of the elements of a fair criminal trial guaranteed by Article 6 § 1 (see Allenet de Ribemont v. France, 10 February 1995, § 35, Series A no. 308).