What’s New
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8 March 2012
Forcing Open the Government in Australia
By David Jean This article first appeared in The Advertiser, Adelaide, Australia, on March 6, by staff writer David Jean, and is reprinted with permission. For Mark Parnell, it was a bittersweet victory. After a 20-month Freedom of Information battle that included several court appearances, the Greens MLC finally won the right to access documents relating to […]
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5 March 2012
Research Questions Obama Administration FOIA Policy
Research by The FOIA Project questions whether an early Obama administration policy shift has made any difference in the handling of freedom of information cases. In March 2009 the new administration issued a directive which set forth new “defensive standards” memo that reversed a Bush administration interpretation. Under the new standard, the Department of Justice […]
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5 March 2012
Trinidad and Tobago Join OGP as 53rd Member
Trinidad and Tobago is the 53rd country to join the Open Government Partnership. A Feb. 22 letter from Minister of Foreign Affairs and Communication Surujrattan Rambachan indicating a desire to join was added to the OGP website March 3. With the latest addition, almost two-thirds of all 79 eligible countries have joined the multilateral effort […]
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2 March 2012
Egypt Indicates Plans to Offer Draft FOI Legislation Soon
A top Egyptian government minister on Feb. 27 said a draft freedom of information bill will be submitted to Parliament soon, according to a report in Egypt.com. Assistant Minister of Justice of Legislative Affairs, Omar al-Sherif, said the Justice Ministry has prepared a draft bill in coordination with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. […]
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2 March 2012
OGP Issues Conference Agenda, Suppliers List
The Open Government Partnership has released the draft agenda for its April meeting in Brazil and there are indications that other countries are interested in joining. The OGP also posted a searchable list of about 60 “suppliers” – organizations available to work with governments on developing and implementing their OGP commitments, and invited participation in an […]
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2 March 2012
FOI Notes: Vatican, Research, Ham Sandwich
Vatican: “Does the Vatican Need a FOIA Act,” an article in the British publication Catholic Herald by Fr. Alexander Lucie-Smith. Job Postings: The Open Society Foundation’s Washington Office seeks a Senior Policy Analyst to work on transparency, media and election issues, including the Open Government Initiative, whistleblower protections, government secrecy, internet policy, media diversity, campaign […]
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2 March 2012
Liberia, Carter Center Combine on Implementation
In an effort to help implement the 2010 Liberian freedom of information act, the government Feb. 27 renewed a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. -based Carter Center to provide assistance. The Carter Center’s work in Liberia is supported by the United States Agency for International Development. The Carter Center and the Liberian government will […]
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2 March 2012
UK Panel Holds Two Hearings on FOIA Reform
A British parliamentary committee on Feb. 28 held a second public hearing on possible changes to the Freedom of Information Act. The Campaign for Freedom of Information gave oral evidence at the first Justice Select Committee’s first evidence session along with WhatDoTheyKnow and Unlock Democracy. Journalists predominated at the second session. In another UK development, […]
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2 March 2012
Bahamian Senate Approves Revised FOI Legislation
The Bahamian Senate on Feb. 23 approved a freedom of information bill, setting the stage for action in the House of Assembly. The bill was a newly modified version. (See previous FreedomInfo.org reports.) A copy of the latest bill is here. Attorney General John Delaney led debate, according to an account by Taneka Thompson in the […]
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2 March 2012
RIght2Know Campaign in South Africa Issues Report
This report was prepared by the National Working Group for presentation at the 2012 Right2Know National Summit March 3-4, 2012 in Johannesburg. 1. INTRODUCTION It is a mere 18 months since the launch of the Right2Know Campaign at the end of August 2010 in Cape Town. It a remarkable short period of time our campaign has […]
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2 March 2012
Three New Commissioners Appointed to CIC in India
Three new information commissioners were sworn in on Feb. 28 in New Delhi. Former Intelligence Bureau (IB) chief Rajiv Mathur is one of the new commissioners. Also added were the former environment secretary Vijai Sharma, recently working as an expert member at the National Green Tribunal and retired Syndicate Bank chairman and managing director Basant […]
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28 February 2012
United States Court Rules Mug Shots Protected
By Harry Hammit Hammit is publisher of Access Reports, a bi-monthly report on U.S. and Canadian freedom of information legal developments. After the Supreme Court put most personal information off limits in its 1989 Reporters Committee decision, appellate courts in particular began to find any number of reasons why such information was protected by Exemption […]
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24 February 2012
Ghana Parliament Continues to Delay FOI Legislation
By Toby McIntosh Supporters of freedom of Information legislation in Ghana continue to wait for Parliament to prepare a report on last summer’s national consultations about the long-delayed bill. Some members of Parliament recently lamented that President John Evans Atta Mills has not delivered on his promise to get a FOI bill passed. The Joint Committee […]
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24 February 2012
More OGP Countries Post Updates on Action Plans
Seven other countries participating in the Open Government Partnership have submitted interim reports on their efforts to write national action plans. According to a FreedomInfo.org review, Estonia, Georgia, Jordan, Kenya, Latvia, Montenegro and Sweden sent in updates within the past week that are posted on the OGP website. This leaves 15 countries that apparently have not heeded a January […]
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24 February 2012
FOI Supporters Meet With Top Sierra Leone Official
Advocates of the much-delayed freedom of information bill in Sierra Leone recently met with a key advisor to the president, who promised to give the bill closer study, according to a report in Sierra Express. Five FOI Coalition members met with the Chief of Staff in the office of the President on Feb. 2 to discuss the […]
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24 February 2012
Zambian Minister Predicts FOI Bill Will Be Tabled by July
Zambia’s Minister of Information, Broadcasting and Labour Fackson Shamenda Feb. 22 said a freedom of information bill will be tabled in Parliament by July. He was speaking at the send-off ceremony for eight representatives from the media, civil society and government officials who will visit the United States Feb. 25-March 11 to study the U.S. […]
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24 February 2012
FOI NOTES: Open Data, FOI Literacy, United States
Open Data: The new version of the Open Data Handbook has been released by the Open Knowledge Foundation. Bangladesh: Three years after passage of the Bangladesh Right to Information Act, 98.2 per cent of the rural population have no idea on how to use it in their daily life, according to a recent baseline survey […]
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23 February 2012
OGP Selects 35 Civil Society Reps to Attend Brazil Meeting
By Toby McIntosh The Open Government Partnership Feb. 22 announced the names of 35 persons from civil society organizations who will represent their countries at the April 17-18 OGP meeting in Brasilia, Brazil. Their selection comes along with a few additional facts about the still-developing OGP governance plan. The OGP expects to have about 100 […]
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23 February 2012
Indian Health Foundation Told to Comply With RTI
India’s Central Information Commission has ruled that the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) had falls under the Right to Information Act, using the decision to underscore its position that other public-private partnerships are also covered, a contentious issue. Commissioner Shailesh Ghandi, who wrote the opinion, directed the chairman of PHFI to appoint a Public […]
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22 February 2012
Indian Committee Displeased With Nuclear RTI Exemption
A proposed Right to Information law exemption in a new Indian nuclear safety bill appears to be faring poorly in Parliament. A committee looking into the Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority bill is likely to propose dropping the RTI provision, according to reports in The Hindustan Times and India Today. The government-backed bill would create a […]