Freedom of information is one of many topics addressed a 619-page report of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights that includes the 2013 Annual Report of the Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression. (Spanish)
The report by rapporteur Catalina Botero Marino also addresses national security surveillance and violence against journalists, combining a descriptive narrative with recommendations.
The country-by-country chapters sometimes address freedom of information developments, at times slightly critical of decisions. A 60-page section reviews decisions made by FOI supervisory bodies on a selection of topics.
A few conclusory paragraphs on access to information avoid naming specific countries and are generically encouraging of better laws and implementation. The rapporteur comments that “in several Member States there continue to be difficulties in regulating the exceptions to the exercise of this right and in the implementation of some laws.”
“In terms of progress, the Office of the Special Rapporteur expresses its satisfaction with the inclusion of the inter-American standards on access to information in the domestic legal systems of some States, whether through the enactment of special laws on access to information, or through the decisions of some national courts,” according to a press release.
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