What’s New
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17 June 2011
Uganda Issues Regulation to Implement Access Statute
Uganda has issued long-awaited regulations to govern the 2005 Access to Information Act. The regulations had been approved in May, but publication was delayed. (See previous Freedominfo.org report.) The absence of regulations constrained implementation of the law and their issuance was a key demand of groups including the Africa Freedom of Information Centre. The AFIC is a pan-African […]
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14 June 2011
Nigeria Law One of the Best Says Advocate Edetaen Ojo
The freedom of information bill that finally emerged in Nigeria is one of the best in the world, according to a key figure in the successful campaign for a FOI law in Nigeria. Edetaen Ojo, Executive Director of Media Rights Agenda, gave an extensive interview to The Independent with Emma Maduabuchi, Assistant Features Editor. Ojo […]
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13 June 2011
Governor Proposes FOI Law for Nigerian State of Ekiti
The Nigerian state of Ekiti governor, Kayode Fayemi, has sent a freedom of information bill to the State Assembly. Passage would make Ekiti the first state to pass a FOI law in the wake of a new national law being approved, according to a report by Davidson Iriekpen and Toba Suleiman in This Day. According […]
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13 June 2011
OAS Approves Resolutions on Access to Information, Truth
The General Assembly of the Organization of American States, meeting in El Salvador June 5-7, approved resolutions on access to public information, protection of personal data, access to the truth about past human rights violations, and many other topics. (See OAS press release and links to the declaration in English and Spanish.) While recalling past […]
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13 June 2011
Rwanda Cabinet Okays Access to Information Bill
The Rwandan Cabinet June 1 approved an Access to Information bill and supporters are hoping for it to be signed into law in late September. ARTICLE 19 urged the Rwandan Parliament to pass the bill. “The Rwandan Government’s adoption of the Access to Information Bill is a clear acknowledgement of the key role free flow […]
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10 June 2011
EU Court Rules Against Parliamentary Secrecy
The General Court of the European Union June 7 ruled that the European Parliament should not have denied access to a sensitive report on allowances paid to parliamentarians. The case was brought by Irish lawyer, Ciarán Toland, who sought access to a 2006 internal audit of the Parliamentary Assistance Allowance, known as the “Galvin Report.” […]
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10 June 2011
Date to Vote on Secrecy Bill in South Africa Postponed
The ruling African National Congress has delayed a planned June 24 vote in Parliament on the proposed Protection of Information Bill in the face of widening opposition. As reported by Brendan Boyle in The Times: The ANC has buckled to pressure from alliance partners and a former cabinet minister and has extended the deadline for […]
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10 June 2011
U.S. to Host July Meeting of Open Government Effort
The United States on July 12 will host a meeting of the now nine-nation Open Government Partnership, at which time the coalition is expected to reveal more about the effort. Maria Otero, Under Secretary for Democracy and Global Affairs, is the primary U.S. representative for the coalition, announced by President Obama last year (See previous FreedomInfo.org […]
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10 June 2011
FOI Notes: Internet, Open Data, Local Transparency
Internet: “While the Internet is empowering individuals more than ever, there is an increase globally in content filtering and censorship,” according to a new UNESCO publication, “Freedom of Connection – Freedom of Expression: The Changing Legal and Regulatory Ecology Shaping the Internet.” Professor William Dutton, Director of Oxford Internet Institute, is the main author. “Through […]
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10 June 2011
Guatemala Releases Report on National Police History
The National Security Archives June 8 posted on its website a copy of the report, “From Silence to Memory: Revelations of the Historical Archive of the National Police” (Del Silencio a la Memoria: Revelaciones del Archivo Histórico de la Policía Nacional), about the role of the Guatemalan police. The report was officially released June 7 […]
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10 June 2011
Sri Lanka Party Leaders Reject RTI Proposal
The Sri Lankan government has rejected a proposed right to information law, again saying it could draft a better bill, according to a report in The Nation. United National Party (UNP) senior Deputy Leader Karu Jayasuriya, who had proposed the bill, subsequently said he would take the issue to the people at the grassroots level, […]
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3 June 2011
Nigerian President Signs Freedom of Information Bill
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has signed a freedom information bill. The president’s signature May 28 came 11 years after a FoI bill was first submitted to Nigeria’s 4th National Assembly in 1999. A bill was passed by both chambers in the first quarter of 2007, but was vetoed by President Olusegun Obasanjo. The newly enacted […]
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27 May 2011
EU Council to Appeal Transparency Ruling
The European Union Council has voted to appeal a March court ruling that mandated disclosure of a document summarizing member countries’ positions on reform of the EU’s access to information rules (See previous FreedomInfo.org report.) The May decision apparently was made without opposition, but Wobbing Europe’s Staffan Dahllöf learned that some pro-transparency governments have reserved […]
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27 May 2011
Views Sought on Model FOI Law for Africa
The Special Rapporteur for freedom of expression and access to information in Africa has requested comments on a draft model access to information law for African Union member states. Written submissions are requested by Aug. 15, 2011. To download a copy of the model law and to make a submission see the website of the […]
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27 May 2011
Court Stays CIC Order Concerning Court Records
The Delhi High Court May 22 stayed a Central Information Commission order that would have allowed Indians to seek information to use Right to Information Act to obtain court records. The commission ruled May 11 that the RT Act takes precedence over the internal rules of the Supreme Court. (See previous FreedomInfo.org report.) The Supreme Court […]
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27 May 2011
Regional Russian Websites Found Lacking in IIFD Report
The Institute for Information Freedom Development has issued a report on the official websites of 83 executive government bodies of the Russian Federation. The monitoring results showed that Russian regional governments provided only 38% of the information on their activities that must be published according to the Russian FOI law, according to IIFD. “Therefore, the […]
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27 May 2011
South African Secrecy Bill Moving Forward Unchanged
The ruling party in South Africa this week resisted changes to the proposed Protection of Administration Bill. The ad hoc committee considering the bill met on May 24 and 26 and voted on amendments. The South Africa Press Association (SAPA) reported: Opposition parties pleaded in vain on Thursday that South Africans were going to rue […]
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27 May 2011
U.S. Senate Passes Bill to Establish FOI Commission
The U.S. Senate May 26 passed a bill (S. 627) to establish a Commission on Freedom of Information Act Processing Delays. The “Faster FOIA Act of 2011” would mandate that the commission: – identify methods that will help reduce delays in processing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests submitted to federal agencies: – ensure the […]
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27 May 2011
U.S. Issues New Guidance in Wake of Court Decision
By Harry A. Hammitt Hammitt publishes Access Reports, a biweekly newsletter. This article is reprinted with pemission from his latest issue. The Office of Information Policy at the Justice Department issued agency guidance May 10 on the Supreme Court’s ruling in Milner v. Dept of Navy, 131 S.Ct. 1259 (2011), both explaining the decision and […]
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25 May 2011
Nigerian Assembly Passes Harmonized FOI Legislation
The Nigerian Senate and House May 24 passed a harmonized version of the Freedom of Information bill worked out bv a Joint Conference Committee. Advocates are urging President Goodluck Jonathan, who has previously stated his support for a FOI law, to sign the bill, and key legislators are predicting it will become law. However, Next […]