News
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25 February 2011
India Information Commission Faces Backlog
More than 15,000 appeals under the Indian Right to Information Act (RTI) are pending with the Central Information Commission. The information was released by Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions V. Narayanasamy Feb. 24 and is contained in a government press release. Narayanasamy said the average monthly receipt and […]
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25 February 2011
Pakistani RTI Supporters Rally for Law in Punjab Province
By Zahid Abdullah The writer is based in Islamabad, Pakistan, and works for the Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives They had gathered to protest about the denial of their right to information. The venue was the road in front of Rawalpindi Press Club and the date Feb. 22, 2011. There were only sixty of […]
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25 February 2011
Nigerian House Passes FOI Bill Without Opposition
The Nigerian House of Representatives Feb. 24 passed a freedom of information bill without opposition. Senate action is still required. The action by the House, however, was a major step forward after the bill seemed to have stalled in 2010. FOI legislation has been pending in Nigeria for 11 years and had not been debated […]
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24 February 2011
Political Infighting Endangers Japan Open Government Bill
By Lawrence Repeta Professor, Meiji University; Board Member, Information Clearinghouse Japan When the Democratic Party of Japan won a landslide victory in 2009 parliamentary elections, the prospects for a progressive open government law in Japan were bright. Now the DPJ government is poised to present a historic bill to the Diet that would reduce onerous […]
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21 February 2011
Implementation of FOI Law Found Lacking in Indonesia
More than two years after passage of the Indonesian Freedom of Information Act, a new study says that implementation efforts are lacking. The study of one province, Nusa Tenggara Timur, was conducted through Badan Perencanaan Pembangunan Daerah (BAPPEDA) in collaboration with Article 19, TIFA and PIAR NTT. The assessment was funded by the Government of […]
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18 February 2011
Bangladesh Commission Holds First Hearings on Cases
The Bangladesh Information Commission Feb. 15 held its first hearings on cases, one of many signs of activity under the 2009 law. The Information Commission completed hearings on five cases under the chairmanship of Chief Information Commissioner Muhammed Zamir. Promotion efforts are under way. In January, Grameenphone signed a memorandum of understanding with the Information […]
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18 February 2011
Nigerian House Speaker Promises Action on FOI Bill
The Speaker of the Nigerian House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, has said the House will get committee reports soon on Freedom of Information (FOI) legislation, according to media reports such as one by Shola Adekola in The Nigerian Tribune. The House is awaiting a report on the bill from two committees. Bankole said he expects […]
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18 February 2011
Latvian Court Moves to Expand FOI Scope
The Latvian Supreme Court has said it will hear a case involving whether the national airline is subject to the freedom of information law. An administrative court had refused to hear a case about refusal of the national airline to respond to the FOI request, according to FOIA activists in Latvia. The requesters appealed to […]
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18 February 2011
Philippines House Leader Suggests Action on FOI Bill
A top leader of the Philippine House of Representatives said this week that an effort will be made to bring a bill up Feb. 22. The statement by Deputy Speaker and Quezon Representative Lorenzo Tañada III comes despite the decision so far by the new Aquino administration not to make the FOI bill a legislative […]
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18 February 2011
Tensions Arise Over Protests Against ANC Secrecy Bill
Masks, a silent protest, a walk-out and rancorous counter-charges marked the week’s activity in South Africa surrounding the controversial Protection of Information Bill. The week ended with criticism of the bill from U2 lead singer Bono. Opposition party committee members charged that the ad hoc committee considering the bill lacked the technical approval to continue […]
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14 February 2011
World Bank Supportive of Ghana FOI Bill
By Toby McIntosh Supporters of a freedom of information bill for Ghana, feeling tantalizingly close to seeing parliamentary action, are now waiting to see if parliamentary leaders will suggest a “reasonable” budget and timetable for country-wide consultations. The Word Bank has indicated its willingness to finance the consultations but rejected a proposal from parliamentarians to […]
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11 February 2011
Nigerian House Votes to Advance FOI Legislation
The Nigerian House Feb. 10 voted to speed up action on freedom of information legislation that has been pending for 11 years. In an unexpected move, the House sent the measure for “thorough scrutiny” by two of its committees — Information and National Orientation and Justice — withdrawing a 2007 order that had held the bill up. The […]
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11 February 2011
Three Nigerian States Advancing Openness Reforms
By Toby McIntosh Frustrated with lack of action on freedom of information legislation at the national level, three states in Nigeria are taking steps to bring more transparency to the state level. Three states are considering action – Ekiti, Lagos and Rivers, according to Nigerian activists and media accounts. The state efforts are occurring […]
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11 February 2011
U.S. Judge Orders Disclosure of Metadata
A U.S. federal court has ordered the release of metadata – tracking information imbedded in electronic documents. The decision was issued Feb. 7 in National Day Laborer Organizing Network v. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency. Materials provided by the agency were unsearchable and unusable, the court said, because it came in the form of a […]
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11 February 2011
UN Urged to Expand Article 19 Interpretation
Right to information experts have recommended that the United Nations Human Rights Committee expand its draft interpretation of Article 19 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights which states: “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive, and impart […]
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11 February 2011
New Group Formed to Press for FOI Legislation in Brazil
Brasil Aberto (Open Brazil) has been created to encourage passage of an access to public information law in Brazil. Legislation passed the lower house of Congress in April 2010, but has since languished in the Senate where it has been assigned for review to four committees. (See previous Freedominfo.org report.) The new coalition was formed […]
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11 February 2011
FOI Notes: EU Law, Conferences
EU: A paper prepared by Mario Savino, of Tuscia University of Viterbo (Italy), addresses the topic, “The Right to Open Public Administrations in Europe: Emerging Legal Standards.” It is published by Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The paper examines the regulations on access to information where they exist and how transparency policies are implemented […]
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10 February 2011
RTI Martyrs: Saluting the Brave
By Amitabh Thakur IPS officer from UP and President, National RTI Forum “RTI Martyrs ! Who the hell are they?” someone might ask. And the reason is obvious. For long we have listened the word martyr as someone who has sacrificed his or her life at the altar of human well-being. Each society and each […]
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7 February 2011
FOI Bill Not Prioritized by Aquino Administration
New Philippine President Benigno Aquino III has left the Freedom of Information bill off his short list of legislative goals, despite having indicated during the campaign that it would be a priority. At a briefing Feb. 7, presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said “certain issues” concerning the FOIA bill are under study, but did not elaborate, […]
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4 February 2011
Ghana RTI Advocates Press for Action on Legislation
Supporters of a right to information bill in Ghana returned to the streets in front of the parliament building this week to press for action and some were slightly injured in scuffles with police. Majority Leader of Parliament Cletus Avoka was not encouraging as he urged patience and told the picketers lobbyists Feb. 2 that […]