3 FEBRUARY 2010 Freedominfo.org Launches Russian-Language Content
Freedominfo.org is pleased to provide Russian-language content through this website. This Russian portal will feature selected translations of Freedominfo.org content into Russian.
Telavi, Georgia — Some 25 freedom of information advocates and practitioners from the Caucasus region convened on May 8-11, 2009, to compare the laws and the practices across the region and to outline some common strategies to strengthen the right of access in these countries. Organized by the National Security Archive together with its partners from Tbilisi State University, the workshop included participants from Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, and the United States, and representatives of the leading FOI organizations in each country, meeting for two days of presentations and discussion in Telavi, and a session at the State Security Archive of Georgia in Tbilisi. More >>
27 JANUARY 2009 Russian Government Heeds Civil Society's Call for Access to Information Law On January 21, 2009, the same day that US President Barack Obama took decisive steps for transparency and accountability in the US government, the lower chamber of the Russian Parliament, the State Duma, passed the Bill on Ensuring Access to Information about Activities of State Organs and Organs of Local Administration. More >>
Russia’s Law on Providing Access to Information on the Activities of State Bodies and Bodies of Local Self-Government, passed by the lower house of the legislature (State Duma) on January 21, 2009. It is a significant reversal of long-standing traditions of government secrecy and has the dubious distinction of being the longest-debated bill in the recent history of the Duma. The law was first introduced in January 2007, was signed by President Dimitry Medvedev on February 9, 2009, and comes into effect on January 1, 2010. For the first time in the Russian history, the law positively guarantees the rights of Russian citizens to request and receive information, outlines a procedure for such requests, and determines government responsibility for providing such information. Read more
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The Institute for Information Freedom Development (IIFD): a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization established in 2004 dedicated to investigating, identifying and solving problems of access to socially significant information in Russia. In particular, the Institute focuses on access to governmental information and information about the activities of state agencies through legal recourse and organizational means.
The Moscow Helsinki Group (MHG): Founded in 1975, MGH is the oldest contemporary human rights organization in Russia and was severely repressed until the group could re-establish itself in 1989. MHG’s mission is “to assist human rights observation and democracy development in Russia.” As part of this mission, MGH publishes an annual report on the state of human rights in Russia.
Memorial: Originally a movement to preserve the historical memory of Russian political oppression, Memorial has partnered with dozens of organizations in Kazakhstan, Latvia, Georgia, and the Ukraine in research, advocacy, and education activities.
Citizens Watch: a group of Russian human rights activists, journalists, lawyers, and deputies in the State Duma dedicated to protecting constitutional rights, civic control, and public oversight over government affairs.
World
Bank, Governance Matters, 2008
(Percentile rank - indicates rank of country among all countries in the world. 0 corresponds to lowest rank and 100 corresponds to highest rank.)
1)
Voice and Accountability: 21.6
2) Political Instability and Violence: 23.9
3) Government Effectiveness: 45.0
4) Regulatory Quality: 31.4
5) Rule of Law: 19.6
6) Control of Corruption: 15.5
Svetlana Savranskaya
The National Security Archive's director for cooperative projects with Russian archives and institutes and editor of the Russian and East Bloc Archival Documents Database
