Posts Tagged ‘human rights’
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14 January 2010
Argentina: La Desclasificación de Documentos Militares sobre Derechos Humanos
Por Carlos Osorio Buenos Aires, Argentina — El 5 de enero de 2010, la Presidenta Argentina Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner emitió el Decreto 4/2010 que levanta la clasificación de todos los documentos militares relacionados con las actividades de las fuerzas armadas entre 1976 y 1983. El decreto fue incitado a partir de miles de solicitudes dirigidas […]
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14 January 2010
Argentina: Declassification of Military Records on Human Rights
By Carlos Osorio (Disponible en español) Buenos Aires, Argentina — On January 5, 2010, Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner issued Decree 4/2010 lifting the classification of all military records related to activities of the armed forces between 1976 and 1983. The decree was prompted by thousands of requests to the Ministry of Defense coming from hundreds […]
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16 November 2009
In Shanghai, President Obama Recognizes Access to Information as Universal Right
by Yvette M. Chin Shanghai, China — On his first trip to Asia, President Obama made unequivocal statements about access to information as a universal human right at a rare town-hall style meeting of university students November 16. Over 2 years ago, the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Open Government Information (OGI Regulations) […]
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7 October 2009
Saber Mas: New Report on Access to Information in Latin America
Open government advocates offer first-hand accounts of FOI promotion in Latin America Latin America’s leading open government advocates recently released a report, bringing together data from 17 countries and offering new findings on the status of freedom of information in the region. The Regional Alliance for Freedom of Expression and Information (Alianza Regional para la […]
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25 September 2009
The World Prepares for International Right To Know Day, 28 September 2009
The 7th International Right to Know Day on 28th of September 2009 will mark a year of historic advances for the right of access to information and will be celebrated by the Freedom of Information Advocate’s Network which has around 200 organizations in 75 countries who are calling for universal respect for the public’s right […]
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25 August 2009
US Torture Files and Access to Human Rights Information
By Jesse Franzblau and Emilene Martinez-Morales Washington, DC — The US government’s August 24, 2009, release of a controversial CIA 2004 Inspector General report on torture brings new attention to the issue of how information on human rights abuses is treated and should be treated under freedom of information laws. Deadlines set by a federal […]
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19 June 2009
12 European Countries Sign First International Convention on Access to Official Documents
Advocates Urge 37 Remaining Council of Europe Members to Sign Tromsø, Norway — On June 18, 2009, 12 of 47 member-states of the Council of Europe signed the Convention on Access to Official Documents, making history as the first international binding legal instrument that recognizes a general right of access to official documents held by public authorities. […]
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19 June 2009
Lessons from Media Coverage for the Right-to-Know in Latin America
By Greg Michener In the last year or so, Latin America has been abuzz with news on right-to-know campaigns. But some countries have been buzzing louder than others. Uneven media attention to transparency policy is a global phenomenon with serious implications for institutional effectiveness, especially given the significant connection between news coverage and the strength […]
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27 May 2009
Developments in Brazil
President Lula da Silva Sends Draft FOI Bill to Congress National Archive Launches Website with Historical Records from Dictatorship Recent developments in Brazil have fueled a growing debate on open government, historical memory, and truth and justice initiatives in the country. On May 13, 2009, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva sent a long-awaited draft […]
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19 May 2009
Freedom of Information Legislation and the Media in Latin America
By Greg Michener 2008 was a big year for freedom of information movements in Latin America. Three countries passed access to information laws last year (Uruguay, Chile, and Guatemala), officially institutionalizing the publics right to know. Varying degrees of media attention, however, had a significant effect on the relative strength of each law. I have […]
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8 May 2009
Jimmy Carter Presses for Greater Access to Information in the Americas
Sao Paulo Gives Jimmy Carter Highest Award in Recognition of Human Rights Former US President Jimmy Carter publicly pressed for widespread support for Brazil’s pending transparency law last week. The government has pledged to pass an access to information law this year, as reported previously by freedominfo. On Sunday, May 3rd, Carter was given the […]
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1 May 2009
Guatemala’s Transparency Law in Action
Over 8,000 NGOs and Private Contractors Also Subject to the Law Guatemala City, Guatemala — On April 21, 2009, Guatemala’s Law for Free Access to Public Information went into effect, officially allowing citizens to request information from 1,000 government offices and over 8,000 NGOs that manage public resources. Manfredo Marroquín of the citizen action group Acción Ciudadana […]
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7 April 2009
Cairo Declaration Embodies Fundamental Consensus on the Access to Information in the Arab World
Cairo, Egypt — In January, the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights (EOHR), the National Council of Human Rights, and the Center of Media Freedom in the Middle East and North Africa organized a regional conference in Cairo for the Arab Freedom of Information Network. Representatives from six countries (Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, Palestine, Mauritania, and Yemen) […]
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7 April 2009
Brazil Pledges to Pass Right to Information Bill
Lula Government Drafting New Law with High-Level Support; Civil Society/Media Coalition Campaigns for Access to Information International Seminar April 1-2 Opens Public Debate on Proposed Law; First Draft Lacks Independent Agency for Implementation and Appeals Brasilia, Brazil — The Lula government in Brazil last week publicly committed to pass a right-to-information law this year, thus […]
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27 March 2009
Chileans Prepare for New FOI Law: An Interview with Juan Pablo Olmedo
By Peter Kornbluh Special thanks to Marianna Enamoneta, Emilene Martinez-Morales, Carly Ackerman, Joshua Frens-String and Yessica Esquivel Alonso On April 20th, Chile will become the most recent country to have a functioning Freedom of Information Act—and potentially establish a leading model for new access to information laws around the world. The new “Law of Transparency […]
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20 March 2009
Active Duty Chief of Police Arrested for 25-Year Old Political Disappearance of Labor Activist
Historic Police Archives Key to Prosecution of Former War Crimes Guatemala City, Guatemala — March 5, 2009: A long-awaited break in one of Guatemalas most notorious human rights crimes, Hctor Roderico Ramrez Ros, a Guatemalan police officer, has been arrested in connection with the abduction and disappearance of labor activist Edgar Fernando Garca 25 years […]
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24 February 2009
US Documents Released Through Freedom of Information Act Requests Introduced as Evidence in Spanish Court Hearing Guatemala Genocide Case
Related Material from Guatemalan Military Archives Could Be Released Soon Madrid, Spain — Official documents from American and Guatemalan government files were presented as evidence last week in Spains National Courtthe Audiencia Nacionaland turned over to Judge Santiago Pedraz. However, the Guatemalan documentary record remains largely inaccessible, despite rulings by the Guatemalan court and even […]
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2 February 2009
Revelations from Prime Minister Aso on Wartime POW Labor Demonstrate Need for National Archive in Japan
Controversy Highlights Issues of Historical Memory in Japan By Lawrence Repeta [Editor’s note: This article has been reprinted with permission of the author and first appeared in The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus.] Prime Minister Aso Taro’s admission that his family company employed prisoner-of-war labor during the final months of World War II may one day […]
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22 December 2008
World Bank, Others to Support CSOs with New Funds
A new “Global Partnership Facility” holds the promise of new resources for civil society groups working on governance and anticorruption issues, including freedom of information and media development. The $65 million four-year initiative being administered by the World Bank is designed to “strengthen governance programs and further the fight against corruption,” according to a Dec. […]
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19 December 2008
Council of Europe adopts weak access to information convention
Late last month, the Council of Europe adopted a weak Convention on Access to Official Documents that has been the subject of ongoing criticism from civil society and human rights groups as well as government officials, parliamentarians, and information commissioners from across Europe. According to several human rights groups, the final version of the treaty […]