Posts Tagged ‘rti legislation’
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2 April 2015
Tanzania Delays Action on FOI Bill, at Media Urging
Tanzanian officials have decided not to table a freedom of information bill with a “certificate of urgency,” again delaying action on a measure promised by the president more than a year ago. The handling of the bill, and recent passage of another bill criticized for restricting public speech, comes as the government is about to […]
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25 March 2015
Ukraine Advances Bill to Post More Information Online
The Ukrainian Parliament March 5 gave preliminary approval (with 243 votes) to a law that would make more public information available online and free of charge, according to an article by Boxhena Sheremeta in the Kiev Post. Government agencies would have to publish operational data, statistics and reports on a national open data web platform. […]
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25 March 2015
Article 19 Urges Sri Lanka Not to Limit Human Rights
Sri Lanka’s draft constitutional amendment on freedom of expression and the right to information should be broadened “to make sure that constitutional rights are available to all, not just citizens,” according to Article 19, the London-based free expression group. In a March 23 statement, Thomas Hughes, Article 19 Executive Director, said: According to international law […]
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24 March 2015
RTI Bill in DR Congo Put on List for Senate Consideration
The Senate of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has put a bill (in French) on access to information on its agenda, according to media reports confirmed by local activists. Senator Moses Nyarugabo offered the bill and passage ahs been pushed by groups, especially the Collectif 24, a nongovernmental organization that coordinated a civil society effort […]
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11 March 2015
Government is Open in Rhetoric and Secret in Reality
By Umar Cheema The author is an investigative reporter for the Pakistani newspaper The News, where this article first appeared March 10. ISLAMABAD: The PML-N government is determined to promote transparency in rhetoric but has been found building walls of secrecy in reality. The Ministry of Law, Justice and Human Rights has denied the citizens’ […]
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5 March 2015
Budget Approved for FOI Legislation for Philippines
The Philippines House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations on March 4 approved the budgetary provisions of the Freedom of Information bill, according to articles in the Philippines Star, the Manila Standard and GMA. The FOI bill now goes back to the House Committee on Public Information panel, which passed the bill in November, before being […]
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5 March 2015
Sri Lanka’s RTI Bill – Misconceptions and Recommendations
By Kishali Pinto-Jayawardena and Venkatesh Nayak This article appeared Feb. 28 in The Sri Lanka Guardian. Kishali Pinto-Jayawardena is a Colombo based civil liberties advocate, the editorial (legal) consultant/columnist for the Sunday Times and a legal consultant for the Institute of Commonwealth Studies (ICwS) Sri Lanka media law initiative based at the University of London, […]
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17 February 2015
Sri Lanka Issues Draft Bill; Commenters Urge Changes
The new Sri Lankan government has issued draft right to information bill that several international organizations say is good but needs improvements. With rapid passage in mind, the government provided limited time for comment before it is presented before Parliament, possibly on Feb. 20. (See draft bill here.) The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative welcomes the initiative and […]
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17 February 2015
RTI and Ghana’s Commitment to the OGP
By Ugonna Ukaigwe The author leads the RTI Coalition in Ghana. The article, reprinted with permission, first appeared Feb. 16 on the website of Peace FM. In September 2011, Ghana joined some 46 other countries around the world to sign unto the Open Government Partnership (OGP), an initiative that seeks to secure concrete commitments from governments […]
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12 February 2015
Ghana Committee Approves Right to Information Bill
A parliamentary committee in Ghana has advanced an amended right to information bill for consideration by the full Parliament. The Select Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs has reviewed the bill and presented its report to Parliament, according to sources in Ghana and media reports. The committee accepted many of the changes proposed by […]
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9 February 2015
Sudanese Journalists Wary of New FOI Law
By Lori Baitarian The author is an intern in the Committee for the Protection of Journalists’ Middle East and North Africa Program and holds a BA in political studies from the American University of Beirut. The article first appeared in the CPJ blog and is reprinted with permission. The Sudanese government has boasted that its […]
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29 January 2015
Seychelles President Michel Commits to Draft FOI Law
The president of the Seychelles, James Michel, has pledged to develop freedom of information legislation. His statement came during a visit by Pansy Tlakula, the Special Rapporteur of the African Union on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information. Michel was quoted as saying that his government will begin consultations on FOI legislation based on […]
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29 January 2015
Groups Praise Government of Cambodia for ATI Law Plans
Participants in a December National Workshop on Access to Information in Cambodia issued a statement praising the government’s commitment to develop an Access to Information Law with the Ministry of Information taking the lead role in the process. The 191 participants also drew attention to a variety of transparency problems. Regarding the commitment to develop […]
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29 January 2015
Sri Lankan Government Plans Committee to Draft RTI Bill
The new Sri Lankan government will form a committee to prepare a right to information bill, according to media reports including an extensive article in The Island by Randima Attygalle and a published interview of a key minister. The planned working committee of 15-20 members will include the Secretary to the Mass Media and Information Ministry, […]
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3 January 2015
Mozambique President Signs FOI Legislation; 103rd Nation
The outgoing president of Mozambique, Armando Guebuza, has signed freedom of information legislation into law. Mozambique becomes the 103rd nation with a FOI regime. The text of the law was not immediately available. The exact date of signature also could not be confirmed, but Guebuza’s term expired Dec. 31. Mozambique’s Constitutional Council Dec. 30 confirmed […]
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18 December 2014
Zambia Promises but no Action: 12 years waiting and still counting
By Edem Djokotoe The author is a Ghanaian journalist and media consultant. This is a chapter from a recently issued State of Right to Information in Africa Report 2014 and is reprinted with permission. (See previous FreedomInfo.org report.) Zambia’s Access to Information Bill is currently in limbo, three years after the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) government promised to enact […]
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17 December 2014
South Sudan Approved Right to Information Law in 2013
South Sudan has a right to information law (text). The little known development occurred a year ago. President Salva Kiir signed the bill on Dec. 9, 2013, and the signing remained unknown for several months, according to African RTI experts, giving rise to speculation that the signature was backdated. The Right of Access to Information […]
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9 December 2014
Afghan President Signs Access to Information Law
Afghanistan’s president Ashraf Ghani has signed an access to information law for Afghanistan, according to activists, who have campaigned for the law for about five years (English translation). Integrity Watch said Dec. 1 that the action is “a positive step for promoting transparency and accountability,” but also said the law “needs further improvement.” The group […]
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4 December 2014
Article 19 Criticizes Proposal for Moroccan Access Law
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 […]
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29 November 2014
Mozambique Assembly OKs Freedom of Information Law
Mozambique’s Assembly on Nov. 26 unanimously passed a freedom of information bill on the second and final reading. The bill passed on first reading on Aug. 21, in the final days of the ordinary sitting of the Assembly. (See previous FreedomInfo.org article). Final passage came in an extraordinary sitting of the Assembly. The president supports the bill […]