chronology | further reading

freedom of information: chronology

1977
Article 6 of the Mexican Constitution is amended and addresses the right to government information for the first time: “access to information will be guaranteed by the State.”

2002
March 20: the first local to access to information law is approved by the Congress of the State of Sinaloa.

April 24: the Federal Transparency and Access to Information Law is approved unanimously by Congress.

2003
June 12: the Federal Transparency and Access to Information Law is enacted. Citizens are able to file requests electronically through the Sistema de Solicitudes de Información (SISI).

2007
March: a comprehensive reform of Article 6 of the Constitution is passed in the federal Congress. It established principles of transparency and provides minimum standards for access to public information at the federal, state, and municipal level.

2008
December 1: Infomex, a new electronic filing system replaces SISI. Infomex allows users to file access to information requests to the federal executive branch, the Supreme Court and several states and municipalities.

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freedom of information: further reading

Transparency: What's Next? (July 2008)

In this article published in the Enfoque supplement of Reforma newspaper Alonso Lujambio, Commissioner and President of IFAI, offers an in-depth analysis of the constitutional reform and the challenges facing government bodies working to implement the mandatory changes set forth by the amendment of Article 6. English - Español

Secrecy Makes a Comeback in Mexico (April 2008)

In this op-ed published by the LA Times Fulbright transparency fellow in Mexico City, Zachary Bookman, warns about the threats facing openness advocates in Mexico as the country's recent gains in government transparency are increasingly coming under fire. Read the full article >>

FOI in Practice: Measuring the Complexity of Information Requests and Quality of Government Responses in Mexico (March 2008)

The National Security Archive’s Mexico Project published the first comprehensive analysis of the Mexican freedom of information law: what information requesters have sought and how the government has responded. A version in Spanish of this report was published in the Derecho Comparado a la Información journal published by Mexico’s National Autonomous University (UNAM). English - Español

Follow-Up Report: The IFAI and Mexico's Culture of Transparency (January 2008)

Follow-up report from the Annenberg School of Communications of the University of Pennsylvania that looks at the successes of the Mexican Federal Institute for Access to Public Information (IFAI) after 5 years in existence. Among the topics discussed in the report is the constitutional reform and how it came about. Read the full article >>

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