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  • 28 September 2016

    Mexican Law Rates at Top According to New RTI Ratings

    The amendments to Mexico’s freedom of information law have made it the best access law in the world, according to the RTI Rating, a comparative assessment of national legal frameworks for the right to information done by the Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD) and Access Info Europe. The changes gave Mexico 136 points out […]

  • 3 March 2016

    Human Rights Body Questions Provision in Mexican FOI Law

    The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has expressed reservations about a provision in the new Mexican freedom of information law. The comments are included in a report entitled “The Human Rights Situation in Mexico.” “Although the Law contains a prohibition against hiding or denying information related to gross human rights violations, the Commission points out […]

  • 17 December 2015

    INAI Challenges State Law in Court as Unconstitutional

    Mexico’s Information Commission has gone to court to challenge as unconstitutional the freedom of information law in the State of Queretaro. The National Institute for Transparency, Access to Information and Protection of Personal Data (INAI) voted to bring a case before the Supreme Court of Justice challenging the law issued in early November, The state […]

  • 25 November 2015

    Mexican Groups Criticize FOI Bill Adopted by Senate

    The Mexican Senate Nov. 18 easily approved a Federal Law of Transparency and Access to Information that civil society groups argue contradicts some elements of the underlying “general law” on FOI. Ana Cristina Ruelas, Program Officer Access to Information Article 19, said the bill will prevent the commissioners of the National Institute for Access to […]

  • 2 October 2015

    Mexico Failing to Disclose IFI Loan Material, Report Says

    The Mexican government “is failing to live up to its obligations” to disclose information about loans from the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank, according to a new report by a Mexican nongovernmental organization. To reach this conclusion, Mariana González Armijo of Fundar Centro de Análisis e Investigación evaluated responses to test requests. She […]

  • 7 May 2015

    New Mexican Law Enters Into Force; IFAI Gets New Name

    The new Mexican General Law of Transparency and Access to Public Information (LGTAIP) entered into force May 5, according to an announcement by the Federal Institute for Access to Information and Data Protection (IFAI) which is changing its name to National Institute of Transparency, Access to Information and Protection of Personal Data (INAI). The announcement […]

  • 30 April 2015

    IFAI Seeks Public Input on Participatory Governance

    Mexico’s Federal Institute for Access to Information and Data Protection (IFAI) has called for advice on how the government can be not only more open, but more collaborative with citizens. IFAI’s mandate includes more than implementing the freedom of information law and extends to promoting citizen participation, according to the April 27 announcement (in Spanish). […]

  • 29 April 2015

    Notes of the Mexican Transparency System reform.

    By Ana Cristina Ruelas Serna and David Mora The authors work at ARTICLE 19, Mexico and Central America. On April 16th, the Mexican Congress finally approved the General Transparency Law, making progress in adjusting the current legal framework to the standards ordered by the Constitutional reform approved in February 2014. The final text did not include […]

  • 19 March 2015

    Mexican Senate Approves New Access Legislation

    The Mexican Senate on March 18 approved a new access to information bill. The final bill does not include 77 of the 81 last-minute amendments urged by the government which had aroused strenuous objections, according to the Alejandro Gonzalez, the Executive Director of a Mexican civil society organization, Gestión Social y Cooperación (GESOC.) Gonzalez had […]

  • 18 March 2015

    Proposed Changes to Mexican FOIA Law Still Worrying

    By David Mora The author works for Article 19 in Mexico. On Feb. 19, Ana Cristina Ruelas of Article 19 wrote here on the contradiction of Mexico holding Open Government Partnership’s lead chair while the Mexican President pressed the Senate for regressive regulations in the General Transparency Law currently on discussion. In that entry, we […]

  • 21 February 2015

    OGP CSO Leaders Criticize Mexico Over FOI Legislation

    In a highly unusual move, the civil society co-chairs on the Open Government Partnership Steering Committee have criticized the Mexican government, the overall OGP lead chairman, for proposing to undercut the Mexican freedom of information law. The Feb. 21 statement came after Mexican civil society groups blasted the Mexican government, but was a rare public […]

  • 19 February 2015

    Mexico: OGP Leader Faking Transparency

    By Ana Cristina Ruelas  The author is the Right to Information Program Officer at ARTICLE 19, México and Central America Mexico became the lead chairman of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) on 2014, although we are far from openness. The government’s rhetoric is all about transparency and co-creation but in their offices they are pushing us […]

  • 24 December 2014

    New Document Throws More Light on Mexico’s San Fernando Killings

    By Jesse Franzblau The author filed an information request as part of the Migration Declassified project with the National Security Archive, resulting in the IFAI judgment described here. Federal prosecutors in Mexico have made the first official disclosure of investigative files concerning state complicity in the country’s 2010–11 migrant massacres in San Fernando. In August […]

  • 24 December 2014

    Mexican Transparency Law: A Chance to Strengthen Accountability

    By Emi MacLean & Adriana García   This article appeared Dec. 15 in an Open Society Foundations blog in English and Spanish. The authors work for the Open Society Justice Initiative. It is a measure of the contradictions of Mexico’s political system that the wave of public outrage over the disappearance and presumed murder of […]

  • 18 December 2014

    IFAI Orders Disclosure of Database of Professionals

    Mexico’s Federal Institute for Access to Information (IFAI) has ordered the disclosure of the database of the National Registry of Professionals. Commissioner Areli Cano Guadiana also said that greater accessibility should be provided. (See order, in Spanish) The IFAI said sensitive personal data should be exempted from disclosure, including addresses, phone numbers and email addresses. […]

  • 11 December 2014

    Provision in Mexican Bill Worries Access Activists

    Transparency advocates in Mexico are concerned about a provision in pending legislation that could be used to sanction public officials who disclose or order the disclosure of information. The controversial provision was added late in the process to a package that Congress is considering to flesh the constitutional FOI reforms approved earlier this year. (See […]

  • 7 October 2014

    Mexico’s Federal Prosecutor Must End Secrecy over San Fernando Massacres

    By Jesse Franzblau and Emi MacLean Franzblau is a writer working with the National Security Archive, an independent non-governmental research institute and library located at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. MacLean is a legal officer for freedom of information and expression with the Open Society Justice Initiative. This article first appeared Sept. 25 on […]

  • 11 September 2014

    Praise for New Access Law in Mexican State of Coahuila de Zaragoza

    The following report on the new law in the Mexican state of Coahuila was prepared by the state information commission.  Along our history and mainly in the last decade, the Mexican society is fighting to demonstrate its indeclinable will of progressing in our country’s democratic life, developing and strengthening the fundamental principles of plurality, freedom of expression […]

  • 28 August 2014

    Mexican Migration Agency Makes First Disclosure on Massacre

    By  Jesse Franzblau This report first appeared in Migration Declassified on Aug. 20. Franzblau is a policy analyst working on freedom of information projects in an independent capacity. He specializes in the use of FOI laws in Latin America, and is a regular contributor to the Migration Declassified project.  Mexico’s federal migration agency has for the […]

  • 15 August 2014

    IFAI Creates Committees on Six Different Topics

    Mexico’s Federal Institute for Access to Information and Data Protection (IFAI) has established six working committees, each headed by a commissioner. In a meeting with the heads of the Liaison Units from the agencies and entities from the Public Federal Administration, the commissioners of IFAI presented the Working Committees created to address the new responsibilities and powers […]

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