The Alliance for Freedom of Expression and Information Oct. 24 in Washington urged the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights to pay more attention to access to information.
A delegation representing the 24 organizations of 18 different countries requested that access to information be added as a relevant theme access on the country visits done by the IACHR and in the reports made on each country, in order to control and analyze the exercise of this right.
Members of the regional alliance (Alianza Regional por la Libre Expresión e Información) testified about a new report (in Spanish) about freedom of information in the region, particularly about the implementation of the 11 laws in Latin America.
The speakers highlighted the absence of adequate administrative procedures, especially opportunities for recourse to a competent, well-trained nonjudicial system. They also said better national filing systems are necessary, and, more broadly a more favorable culture supportive of transparency.
Common obstacles to access to information exist, the speakers told the commission, including a lack of deadlines for responding to requests or penalties for violating the law. In some counties, the laws exclude some bodies from coverage.
Overall, the level of petitions answered is not very high, the alliance’s research found, especially in Nicaragua and Argentina. Mexico, Chile and Uruguay performed the best. The overuse of exemption on national secrecy, police secrets and personal information as reasons not disclose information was cited. In some countries, bureaucrats say the documents have been destroyed to avoid disclosure, the alliance presenters said.
Filed under: What's New