Posts Tagged ‘rti legislation’
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14 June 2011
Nigeria Law One of the Best Says Advocate Edetaen Ojo
The freedom of information bill that finally emerged in Nigeria is one of the best in the world, according to a key figure in the successful campaign for a FOI law in Nigeria. Edetaen Ojo, Executive Director of Media Rights Agenda, gave an extensive interview to The Independent with Emma Maduabuchi, Assistant Features Editor. Ojo […]
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13 June 2011
Governor Proposes FOI Law for Nigerian State of Ekiti
The Nigerian state of Ekiti governor, Kayode Fayemi, has sent a freedom of information bill to the State Assembly. Passage would make Ekiti the first state to pass a FOI law in the wake of a new national law being approved, according to a report by Davidson Iriekpen and Toba Suleiman in This Day. According […]
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13 June 2011
OAS Approves Resolutions on Access to Information, Truth
The General Assembly of the Organization of American States, meeting in El Salvador June 5-7, approved resolutions on access to public information, protection of personal data, access to the truth about past human rights violations, and many other topics. (See OAS press release and links to the declaration in English and Spanish.) While recalling past […]
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13 June 2011
Rwanda Cabinet Okays Access to Information Bill
The Rwandan Cabinet June 1 approved an Access to Information bill and supporters are hoping for it to be signed into law in late September. ARTICLE 19 urged the Rwandan Parliament to pass the bill. “The Rwandan Government’s adoption of the Access to Information Bill is a clear acknowledgement of the key role free flow […]
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10 June 2011
Date to Vote on Secrecy Bill in South Africa Postponed
The ruling African National Congress has delayed a planned June 24 vote in Parliament on the proposed Protection of Information Bill in the face of widening opposition. As reported by Brendan Boyle in The Times: The ANC has buckled to pressure from alliance partners and a former cabinet minister and has extended the deadline for […]
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10 June 2011
Sri Lanka Party Leaders Reject RTI Proposal
The Sri Lankan government has rejected a proposed right to information law, again saying it could draft a better bill, according to a report in The Nation. United National Party (UNP) senior Deputy Leader Karu Jayasuriya, who had proposed the bill, subsequently said he would take the issue to the people at the grassroots level, […]
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27 May 2011
EU Council to Appeal Transparency Ruling
The European Union Council has voted to appeal a March court ruling that mandated disclosure of a document summarizing member countries’ positions on reform of the EU’s access to information rules (See previous FreedomInfo.org report.) The May decision apparently was made without opposition, but Wobbing Europe’s Staffan Dahllöf learned that some pro-transparency governments have reserved […]
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27 May 2011
South African Secrecy Bill Moving Forward Unchanged
The ruling party in South Africa this week resisted changes to the proposed Protection of Administration Bill. The ad hoc committee considering the bill met on May 24 and 26 and voted on amendments. The South Africa Press Association (SAPA) reported: Opposition parties pleaded in vain on Thursday that South Africans were going to rue […]
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27 May 2011
U.S. Senate Passes Bill to Establish FOI Commission
The U.S. Senate May 26 passed a bill (S. 627) to establish a Commission on Freedom of Information Act Processing Delays. The “Faster FOIA Act of 2011” would mandate that the commission: – identify methods that will help reduce delays in processing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests submitted to federal agencies: – ensure the […]
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13 May 2011
Namibians Denied Right to Information by Government
By Nghidipo Nangola Nangola is a film maker and producer May 3 is World Press Freedom Day and Namibia can pat itself on the shoulder for having guaranteed the freedom for journalists to collect, produce and disseminate information without hindrance. Aside of a few local journalists being roughed up by overzealous security men and one […]
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13 May 2011
Dutch Minister Proposes Cutbacks to Openness Law
Dutch Home Affairs Minister Piet Hein Donner May 5 suggested that the government will propose limitations on use of Holland’s Openness of Government Act, primarily to protect information about predecisional deliberations. Donner did not provide specifics during a speech in which he also said that government officials are overburdened in responding to requests for information, […]
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12 May 2011
Opponents Delay Action on Mexican FOIA Amendments
By Gabriela Ruiz Visiting researcher at The National Security Archive and FOIA Officer at the Chiapas Access to Information Institute Reforms to the Mexican Federal Law of Transparency and Access to Information are stalled in the Congress because of objections from some lawmakers. They are criticizing amendments that would give more power to the Federal […]
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6 May 2011
Nigerian FOI Bill One of Last Items on Assembly Agenda
With less than a month to go until the end of the parliamentary session in Nigeria, the freedom of information bill will be a priority, according to Senate officials. The big task remaining, however, is to harmonize the House and Senate bills, and a joint committee to do the job has not been appointed. Nevertheless, […]
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6 May 2011
Maltese Journalists Seek Implementation of FOI Act
The Institute of Maltese Journalists has urged government action to implement the Freedom of Information Act “as soon as possible,” according to The Times of Malta, as an expert on the law calls it a “dead letter.” “Malta has a Freedom of Information Act on its statute book. But only a few provisions of this […]
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6 May 2011
Ghana Minister Says President Will Sign RTI Bill
Ghana’s Deputy Information Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, May 3 said that President John Atta Mill’s administration is committed to the passage of the stalled right to information bill, but that the bill is in the hands of parliament now. “Once that is done, I assure you, President Mills will not hesitate to grant it assent,” […]
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6 May 2011
Press Group Urges Action on RTI Bill in Mozambique
The Mozambican chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) May 3 “condemned the Mozambican parliament, the Assembly of the Republic, for its failure to schedule for debate the draft Right to Information Bill which was submitted to parliament six years ago.” In a press release issued on World Press Freedom Day, MISA-Mozambique said […]
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6 May 2011
Irish Commissioner Suggests Expansion of FOI Law
Irish Information Commissioner Emily O’Reilly May 3 issued her Annual Report for 2010, recommending that the scope of the law be expanded to cover more public bodies, including the administrative side of An Garda Síochána [the Irish government police force] and the biggest state-controlled financial institutions. She also objected to recent cutbacks on the coverage […]
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5 May 2011
Impeached Ex-President Pockets Brazilian FOI Bill
By Greg Michener Michener is a Rio de Janeiro-based political scientist currently writing a book for Cambridge University Press on freedom of information in Latin America. E-mail is . His blog is http://observingbrazil.com A surprising turn of events threatens to derail President Dilma Rousseff’s bid for greater governmental openness and transparency in Brazil. Brazil was on […]
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5 May 2011
Jersey Passes FOI Law, Sets 2015 Implementation Date
By Toby McIntosh The Jersey States Assembly on May 4 approved a freedom of information law, but decided it will not go into force until the end of 2015. Passage of the bill was nearly unanimous, but a separate action on implementation hinted at underlying tension with government officials. The States Assembly also approved a proposition asking […]
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4 May 2011
Sierra Leone President Promises FOI Law Soon
Sierra Leone President Ernest Bai Koroma on May 3 promised that a freedom of information bill will become law “pretty, pretty soon,” according to a Awoko media report. His pledge came as 50 journalists organized by the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) marched to the State House on International Press Freedom Day urging repeal […]