What’s New
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17 February 2012
Philippines Coalition Endorses Aquino FOI Legislation
A leader in the Philippines House of Representatives has indicated he plans to schedule hearings on freedom of information in late February en route to summertime enactment. The comment by Deputy House Speaker and Quezon Representative Lorenzo “Erin” Tañada came at a Feb. 15 press event at which the bill’s supporters released a lengthy statement […]
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17 February 2012
Comments In, Hearing Set As UK Furthers FOIA Review
The public comment period has ended and the Justice Select Committee has scheduled its first “evidence session” on possible revision of the United Kingdom’s Freedom of Information law. The committee will hold its first evidence session Feb. 21 and hear from: Maurice Frankel, Director, Campaign for Freedom of Information; Alexandra Runswick, Deputy Director, Unlock Democracy; […]
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17 February 2012
Indian CIC Orders Agency to Post More on Website
The Indian Central Information Commission has told the Ministry of Environment & Forests to put more information on its website. The Jan. 18 decision by Commissioner Sailesh Gandhi resulted from a complaint brought by Shibani Ghosh of The Access Initiative India Coalition (TAI India) arguing that certain categories of information should be available on the […]
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17 February 2012
AG Offers Amendments for Bahamas FOI Legislation
The Bahamas House of Assembly on Feb. 20 is scheduled to begin debating a freedom of information bill, changes for which were recently proposed by Attorney-General John Delaney. A copy of the latest bill is here. The latest amendments would restrict use of the law to Bahamian citizens and permanent residents and provide for the […]
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17 February 2012
OGP and Brazil: Question About Consultation and Participation
By Greg Michener This article first appeared in Michener’s blog: http://observingbrazil.com/ As co-chair of the Open Government Partnership, in a very few months Brazil will play host to a meeting among more than 50 countries participating in an unprecedented global initiative: a ‘multinational and multi-stakeholder’ effort to improve accountability, transparency, access to information, and greater participation in […]
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16 February 2012
RTI Implementation: Comparing Experiences in Southeast Asia
By Chiranjibi Kafle The writer is Head, Department of English, RR Campus, Kathmandu. This article was originally published in Republica and is reprinted with permission. More than 90 countries in the world today have introduced Right to Information (RTI) legislations to safeguard people´s access to public information. But the implementation part has not been smooth. […]
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13 February 2012
OAS Special Rapporteur Put Under Pressure by Report
Efforts to reduce the budget and influence of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Special Rapporteur for Freedom Expression may be in abeyance for the moment, but the controversial efforts may resurface, according to persons familiar with the situation. Recommendations seen as potentially damaging to human rights in the region, approved by […]
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13 February 2012
Guatemala Weighs Tighter Hold on Military Information
By Rachel Hatcher Hatcher is a PhD candidate at the University of Saskatchewan. She is now in Guatemala studying post-conflict public memories and discourses of the civil wars in Guatemala and El Salvador. The Guatemalan Congress is considering stricter controls on the release of information about military and diplomatic matters. The proposal, first introduced on […]
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13 February 2012
21 Governments Tardy With Updates on OGP Activity
Twenty-one governments have yet to report on their progress toward developing Open Government Partnership action plans, according to a FreedomInfo.org tally. In the action plans that have been submitted, however, it appears that governments are holding consultations and preparing draft plans, though few of those have emerged in full. Three countries have already announced draft action […]
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10 February 2012
Nepal Backs Off Implementing Controversial Access Restrictions
The government of Nepal has decided not to implement a controversial classification scheme following strong objections from civil society groups that it would undercut access to information. The prime minister has “assured” the leaders of groups protesting the planned changes that there will be wider stakeholders’ consultation before having new classification, according to an announcement […]
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10 February 2012
EU Presidency Seeks Solution on Controversial Access Rules
By Staffan Dahllöf Dahllöf is co-editor of Wobbing Europe, where this article first appeared. The Danish EU-presidency has taken unusual steps to promote adoption of new access rules: Member countries have been summoned to conflict talks, before there is an open conflict. The aim is to facilitate an update of regulation 1049/2001, the soon to […]
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10 February 2012
Access Issues Being Debated in Context of Rio Conference
By Carole Excell Excell is Senior Associate, The Access Initiative, World Resources Institute The Rio+20 Conference, the largest conference on sustainable development in 10 years, is only five months away. A first round of informal negotiations on the “Outcome Document” text just concluded in New York. This document will form the basis of the official […]
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10 February 2012
Bangladesh Court Upholds Penalty for Impeding Access
The High Court of Bangladesh on Feb. 8 upheld an Information Commission fine for a government official who refused to provide information under the 2009 Right to Information Act. The court rejecting a petition filed by a government official challenging the Commission’s decision to fine him Tk. 1,000 ($12). The ruling was hailed as the […]
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10 February 2012
Political Appointments in Indian State Stir Objection
The appointment of eight information commissioners in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh has sparked objections that they are unqualified. Four of the announced commissioners are politicians in the ruling Congress party. The others include three retired or current civil servants and a senior journalist with party ties, according to media summaries. One media report, in India […]
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10 February 2012
FOI Notes: Research in EU, US, Canada; Consultancy
Research: “Transparency and Trust. An experimental study of online disclosure and trust in government,” by Stephan van Grimmelikhuijsen. The full text can also be accessed via the link (warning: it is a large file). From abstract: “The experiments show that transparency is merely a ‘hygiene factor’: it does not contribute to higher levels of trust […]
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6 February 2012
Aquino FOI Bill Sparks Debate, Amendment Ideas
Now that Philippine President Benigno Aquino has submitted his freedom of information bill, proposals to expand it have surfaced and critics are calling it too timid. FOI advocates had known the bill would fall below their expectations, but decided to compromise in order to fulfill a decade-old goal of passing a FOI law. Proponents in the Congress continue […]
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6 February 2012
Indonesia Groups Appeal Denial of Water Agreement
A group of Indonesian NGOs led by the People’s Coalition on the Right to Water (KRuHA) is appealing to the National Information Commission the government’s refusal to provide details about the privatization of the water utility in Jakarta. The groups have been seeking access to the agreement that provides the framework for the production and […]
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6 February 2012
State Actions Undermine Right to Information in India
Some Indian states are making it harder for applicants to use the Right to Information law, according to a series of recent news reports. To the distress of RTI activists, states are: – imposing higher fees, – requiring statements of justification for requests, – asking that photographs accompany applications, and – making appeals administratively slower. […]
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6 February 2012
Nepalese Court Continues Stay Order on Access Rules
The Supreme Court of Nepal on Feb. 5 extended an order to delay implementation of a government effort to deny access to 140 types of information. Justices Girish Chandra Lal and Prakash Osti “gave continuity” to a Jan. 31 stay order previously issued by Justice Baidhya Nath Upadhyay. (See previous FreedomInfo.org report.) Critics have charged […]
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6 February 2012
President Medvedev Says Russia Should Join OGP
Russian President President Dmitry Medvedev Feb. 6 suggested that Russia should consider joining the Open Government Partnership, according to a Russian media report. “I believe it stands to reason for us to consider participation in this [initiative],” Medvedev said, according to the RioNovosti story. “Let’s look into it,” he said. Medvedev said at the same […]