What’s New
-
16 October 2014
FOI Notes: Nordics, World Bank Webcasts, Open Data
Nordic Transparency: Access to Information in the Nordic Countries, a comparison of the laws of Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway and Iceland and international rules by Oluf Jørgensen (Nordicom, University of Gothenburg, Göteborg 2014, 40 pages.) “This publication explains and compares the legal rules determining public access to documents and data in Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway, […]
-
15 October 2014
Ireland Amendments Extend Reach of FOI Law
Revisions to the freedom of information law signed Oct. 14 by the Irish president will bring more public bodies under the Irish FOI umbrella. The new legislation, known as the Freedom of Information Act, 2014, will apply to: An Garda Síochána, the Irish police force. Public financial bodies, including NAMA, the National Asset Management Agency […]
-
14 October 2014
Argentina’s Supreme Court Backs RTI for Legislator
The Supreme Court of Justice from Argentina on Oct. 14 issued two decisions supporting the right of access to information. In both cases the defendant, the national government, said that the plaintiff, a national congressman, was not entitled to ask for public information, because he had require it as a legislator. The Court, however, said […]
-
14 October 2014
OGP Working Groups Seek to Clarify Their Missions
The five working groups of the Open Government Partnership are seeking clarification on their roles in order “to facilitate and amplify their efforts,” according to the minutes of two meetings released Oct. 14. The topic was one of many policy and procedure topics addressed at an OGP Steering Committee session held Sept. 24 in New […]
-
9 October 2014
Reports Finds Few Donors Meeting Transparency Goals
Many international aid organizations are “dragging their feet” in meeting commitments to make their finances more transparent, according to a report released Oct. 8. The Aid Transparency Index 2014 report evaluates how well countries and other international aid donors are doing in fulfilling transparency commitments made at the 2011 Busan development summit. “This is a […]
-
9 October 2014
FOI Notes: OGP Research Call, Resource Transparency, Open Data, UK, US, Brazil
Open Government Partnership: The Transparency and Accountability Initiative is seeking research proposals on: when and how are pro-reform actors able to leverage OGP – its processes, spaces and resources – to pursue improved government responsiveness and accountability? Due date is Oct. 27. Resource Transparency: The Resource Governance Index finds that only 11 of the countries—less than […]
-
7 October 2014
Slovenian Court Invalidates Part of Transparency Law
The Constitutional Court of Slovenia has suspended part of a recently passed law mandating that state-owned banks release data on all bad loans on their books. The court did not suspend a requirement that banks publish information about bad loans transferred to the so-called Bad Bank, the new public sector Bank Asset Management Company (BAMC) […]
-
2 October 2014
Africa’s Progress on RTI Assessed in Two Reports
Two key groups advocating for right to information laws in Africa have issued detailed reports, both calling for intensified efforts to continue progress and taking a close look at national situations. The Africa Freedom of Information Centre Sept. 29 launched its first State of the Right to Information in Africa Report. The report is on […]
-
1 October 2014
Criticisms Mount Against South African Government
The Right2Know Campaign in South Africa Sept 28 called on President Zuma to refuse to sign the controversial “secrecy bill” that has been on his desk for 316 days and questioned the government’s leadership role in the Open Government Partnership. The Right2Know Campaign also urged Parliament to revoke the apartheid-era 1982 Protection of Information Act and to write a new classification […]
-
1 October 2014
Article 19 Criticizes Draft Moroccan RTI Legislation
The new Moroccan Draft Law No 31.13 on the Right of Access to Information “fails to adequately recognise the right to information and threatens free expression,” according to Article 19. “The new draft is significantly weaker than previous versions,” said the British freedom of expression group, which had reviewed the previous two drafts of the bill. […]
-
1 October 2014
Two Pakistani Provinces Resisting New RTI Laws
The bureaucracies in the Pakistani provinces of Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) are offering “stiff resistance” to the new right to information laws, according to the Centre for Peace and Development Initiative (CPDI). Information was withheld in over 87 per cent of the requests, the group said. CPDI sent in 924 information requests to the governments […]
-
1 October 2014
FOI Notes: Commentary, UN Agenda, E-Access, Kenya, Wood Carving
Commentary: The Centre for Law and Democracy addresses the passage of the 100th RTI law. Among other observations: One hundred RTI laws is a momentous achievement but, amidst the celebrations, we must bear in mind that this represents only about half of the world’s countries. In other words, the average RTI law still lacks nearly […]
-
1 October 2014
Indian Court Reverses Ruling on Requester Justifications
The Madras High Court in India has reversed its ruling that justifications must be supplied for requests, saying that it had overlooked a contrary provision in the law. The Sept. 23 reversal deleted two paragraphs from its Sept. 17 ruling. (See previous Freedominfo.org report.) The court said: 2. In the said […]
-
30 September 2014
Progress, But Still Problems, Says Serbian Commissioner
This article, published Sept. 30, is reprinted with permission from infoserbia.com. BELGRADE – Serbia has made certain progress in the area of freedom of access to information of public importance, but the fact that the office of the commissioner for information of public importance and personal data protection continues to receive a large number of […]
-
25 September 2014
OGP Celebrates Anniversary, OKs Civic Space Policy
The Open Government Partnership Sept. 24 celebrated its third anniversary with speeches from world leaders and civil society representatives praising the now 65-nation effort. US President Barrack Obama, Mexican President Peña Nieto and 9 other heads of state attended, along with over 30 ministers and more than 300 civil society leaders from around the world, […]
-
25 September 2014
Tanzanian President Pledges FOI Law in February 2015
The president of Tanzania, Jakaya Kikwete, said Sept. 24 that a freedom of information bill would be approved in February, 2015. His commitment came at a meeting in New York commemorating the third anniversary of the Open Government Partnership (video link). In October 2013 at the OGP summit in London, he had pledged to pass a […]
-
25 September 2014
Indian Court in Madras Says Requests Must By Justified
The Madras High Court in India has ruled that applicants must give reasons for seeking information under the right to information act. The judgment was delivered by Justices N Paul Vasanthakumar and K Ravichandrababu while hearing a challenge to the Central Information Commission direction to the High Court to provide certain information, according to news articles […]
-
25 September 2014
Malawi Government Delays Action on FOI Legislation
A freedom of information law for Malawi has been delayed. Minister of Information and Civic Education Kondwani Nankhumwa recently said that action will not be taken during the current session of Parliament. The bill remains under review by the Ministry of Justice, he said, according to a news report in the Malawi Nyasa Times. “We […]
-
25 September 2014
Kenyan Draft Law Faulted in Analyses by Two Groups
A draft freedom of information law for Kenya (text) has been critically reviewed critiqued by two international organizations. “Although the draft is relatively robust,” according to one analysis, “it is significantly weaker than the version which was proposed in 2012. The Attorney General submitted the draft bill, and the legislation remains under consideration in the […]
-
25 September 2014
FOI Notes: RTK Day, Environmental and Legislative Transparency, Much More
International Right to Know Day, Sunday, Sept. 28: See FOIA Advocates Events map. (Spanish) Find more resources for International Right to Know Day here. (Spanish) Environmental Transparency: A survey on open data and climate change is being conducted by the Belmont Forum E-Infrastructure & Data Management Collaborative. United Kingdom: BBC’s Martin Rosenbaum reports on the […]