The Moroccan government’s proposed freedom of information law continues to get bad reviews.
Article 19, the London-based freedom of expression group, on Dec. 1 said the bill “represents a serious setback in the progress towards the recognition of the right to information in the Kingdom of Morocco.”
The revised Draft Law No 31.13 on the Right of Access to Information “would be ineffective in ensuring that all persons in Morocco would have a right to information as guaranteed by Article 27 of the Constitution and may even be counter-productive in ensuring that the public has access to information,” the group said in an analysis.
“The purpose of the law appears to ensure secrecy rather than the promotion of openness and transparency,” according to Article 19, urging the bill’s rejection and making a series of recommendations.
The group also said that “the provisions on the criminalisation of information releases and use represent a serious threat to freedom of expression which violate international law, and do not belong in a right to information law.”
Another negative assessment of the draft law was made in September by the Centre for Law and Democracy. (See previous Freedominfo.org report.) The bill drew immediate criticism when it was issued in August. (See Freedominfo.org report.)
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