What’s New
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4 March 2011
New Murder in India Sparks Roy Demand for Protections
Aruna Roy, the convener of the Indian National Advisory Council’s group on transparency on March 3 requested that the council examine a proposed whistleblower bill that she said would be “wholly inadequate” to stop the killing of Right to Information Act users. She also demanded an official probe a probe into the killing of Jharkhand activist Niyamat […]
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4 March 2011
Aussie Group Launches Alternative Access Site
Frustrated by a government agency’s unwillingness to post public comments online, an Australian group has launched a website to archive such comments: http://opendecisions.net/opendecisions/ “Normal practice for government departments seeking feedback on policy changes is to publish all submissions received on the web,” explains the website. The founders were irked that the Attorney General’s office decied […]
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4 March 2011
Indian CIC, Planning Agency Debate RTI Coverage
The Indian Central Information Commission (CIC) has proposed bringing more transparency to the private corporations participating in the government’s public private partnership (PPP) programs, but the request appears to be meeting with resistance, or not. The story began when the CIC asked the Planning Commission to insert an right to information clause into agreements with the private partners. However, […]
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4 March 2011
Reports Faults Georgia on FOI Responses, Websites
The Georgian freedom of information law needs reform to prevent public officials from hiding information, according to one of two new reports by the Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI). In another report, the institute strongly criticizes the websites of public institutions. The conclusions in Electronic Transparency in Georgia were based on audits […]
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1 March 2011
One Jonathan Adviser Undercuts Another on FOI Bill
The Special Adviser to Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan on Media, Imma Niboro, has distanced the president from remarks by another presidential advisor that were sharply critical of the pending freedom of information bill. Nibora told reporters March 1 that Special Adviser on National Assembly Matters, Mohammed Abba-Aji, was speaking only for himself when he strongly […]
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1 March 2011
U.S. Top Court Denies AT&T Use of Personal Exemption
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 8-0 March 1that corporations do not have a right of personal privacy under freedom of information laws. “We trust that AT&T will not take it personally,” Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wrote at the conclusion of his opinion for the court. AT&T sought to use the “personal privacy” exemption […]
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1 March 2011
Adviser to Nigerian President Opposes FOI Legislation
Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on National Assembly Matters, former senator Mohammed Abba Aji, vowed Feb. 28 to scuttle freedom of information legislation. The leader of a key Senate committee, however, told The Vanguard newspaper that the bill will pass. FOI legislation recently passed in the House (See previous FreedomInfo.org report.) Chairman of the […]
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1 March 2011
Aquino Study of FOI Bill Decried by Supporters
The Aquino administration has created an inter-agency team to draft its own freedom of information bill, a move that the pro-FOI coalition said “could simply throw a monkey wrench” into the process. At a press briefing, presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said the administration is seeking to balance privacy and the right to information, according to […]
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28 February 2011
World Bank Report Critical of Nepal RTI Implementation
The implementation of the right to information law in Nepal “has so far been weak,” according to a new report from the World Bank. Public bodies “have done little to meet their extensive obligations under the law,” the 37-page report says, continuing, “… many have not even appointed dedicated information officers and most of the […]
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28 February 2011
Access to Information Poor in Cyprus, Research Finds
Only one out of four requests for information from public bodies in Cyprus even got a response, according to a comprehensive report that calls for major reforms. The Open Cyprus Project asked for information from 20 public bodies in Cyprus, submitting 393 information requests. They were met with “administrative silence” in the Republic of Cyprus […]
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25 February 2011
Rwanda Cabinet Considering Revised Access Legislation
A revised draft Access to Information Bill is now pending before the Rwandan Cabinet, whose approval is necessary prior to Parliament’s action. The new draft legislation recently won praise from the London-based freedom of expression group Article 19. “The bill sets out progressive standards on access to information including a strong public interest test, short […]
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25 February 2011
The Case for Freedom of Information in Ghana
By Yakubu Abdulai The writer is a student of Tsinghua University in Beijing. He is currently pursuing a Masters degree in International Development. Hardly a day passes without any media house carrying stories relating to corruption in Ghana. Some of them are high level corruption cases whilst others are simple petty corruption. Corruptions usually starts […]
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25 February 2011
FOI Notes: EU Online Public Services, US Reports, New Journal
European Union: A new report says the average availability of online public services in the EU went up from 69% to 82% from 2009 to 2010. Declaration: Activists gathered at the World Social Forum’s Assembly on the Right to Communication issued the following declaration Feb. 11, 2011. United States: The Aspen Institute Communications and Society […]
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25 February 2011
India Information Commission Faces Backlog
More than 15,000 appeals under the Indian Right to Information Act (RTI) are pending with the Central Information Commission. The information was released by Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions V. Narayanasamy Feb. 24 and is contained in a government press release. Narayanasamy said the average monthly receipt and […]
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25 February 2011
Pakistani RTI Supporters Rally for Law in Punjab Province
By Zahid Abdullah The writer is based in Islamabad, Pakistan, and works for the Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives They had gathered to protest about the denial of their right to information. The venue was the road in front of Rawalpindi Press Club and the date Feb. 22, 2011. There were only sixty of […]
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25 February 2011
Nigerian House Passes FOI Bill Without Opposition
The Nigerian House of Representatives Feb. 24 passed a freedom of information bill without opposition. Senate action is still required. The action by the House, however, was a major step forward after the bill seemed to have stalled in 2010. FOI legislation has been pending in Nigeria for 11 years and had not been debated […]
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24 February 2011
Political Infighting Endangers Japan Open Government Bill
By Lawrence Repeta Professor, Meiji University; Board Member, Information Clearinghouse Japan When the Democratic Party of Japan won a landslide victory in 2009 parliamentary elections, the prospects for a progressive open government law in Japan were bright. Now the DPJ government is poised to present a historic bill to the Diet that would reduce onerous […]
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21 February 2011
Implementation of FOI Law Found Lacking in Indonesia
More than two years after passage of the Indonesian Freedom of Information Act, a new study says that implementation efforts are lacking. The study of one province, Nusa Tenggara Timur, was conducted through Badan Perencanaan Pembangunan Daerah (BAPPEDA) in collaboration with Article 19, TIFA and PIAR NTT. The assessment was funded by the Government of […]
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18 February 2011
Bangladesh Commission Holds First Hearings on Cases
The Bangladesh Information Commission Feb. 15 held its first hearings on cases, one of many signs of activity under the 2009 law. The Information Commission completed hearings on five cases under the chairmanship of Chief Information Commissioner Muhammed Zamir. Promotion efforts are under way. In January, Grameenphone signed a memorandum of understanding with the Information […]
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18 February 2011
Nigerian House Speaker Promises Action on FOI Bill
The Speaker of the Nigerian House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, has said the House will get committee reports soon on Freedom of Information (FOI) legislation, according to media reports such as one by Shola Adekola in The Nigerian Tribune. The House is awaiting a report on the bill from two committees. Bankole said he expects […]