Category Archives: News

The government of Quebec has put forward a detailed set of proposals to reform its law on access to information and protection of personal data, in the form of the policy paper, Orientations gouvernementales pour un gouvernement plus transparent, dans le respect du droit à la vie privee et la protection des renseignements personnels. The … Continue reading →

A draft Cybercrime Bill prepared by the government of Trinidad and Tobago would criminalise a wide range of legitimate digital activity, according to an analysis of the Bill released today by the Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD). Although the Bill has formally lapsed, it is likely that a similar draft will be introduced in … Continue reading →

On 23 July 2015, a group of 40 civil society representatives from across Upper Myanmar came together in Mandalay to discuss the importance of the right to information (RTI) to the country’s democratic transition. The participants agreed to form an Upper Myanmar RTI Working Group and to select members to join the central RTI Working … Continue reading →

On 25 July 2015, the Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD) and the Myanmar Media Lawyers’ Network (MMLN), with the support of International Media Support (IMS), carried out a workshop for lawyers on defamation law and restrictions on freedom of expression in the name of national security. The workshop, which involved 25 lawyers from Yangon, … Continue reading →

A draft Right to Information Act prepared by the government of Pakistan has scored an astonishing 146 points on the RTI Rating, which would put it 11 points ahead of the next best right to information law in the world, namely that of Serbia (which has 135 points). The Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD) … Continue reading →

The Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD) today issued an analysis of the draft Media Services Act prepared by the government of Tanzania. If passed, the draft Act would represent a serious step backwards for freedom of expression in Tanzania. It is extremely broad in scope – covering not only traditional media but also online … Continue reading →

The International Partnership Mission to Indonesia (IPMI) welcomes the recent announcement by Indonesian President Joko Widodo that restrictions on foreign journalists seeking to cover the country’s easternmost provinces of Papua and West Papua will be lifted. The IPMI strongly encourages the President to back his statements with concrete changes in policy to ensure that journalists … Continue reading →

Across the country, Canada’s access to information systems have been stagnating for years with laws that are decades old and hopelessly out of touch with international standards. On June 1, Newfoundland and Labrador broke away from the pack, enacting Canada’s first modern access to information law. The reforms came after a robust consultation and review … Continue reading →

The Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD) has prepared an analysis of Tanzania’s draft Access to Information Act, which was released by the government recently. The draft Act follows up on the Tanzanian government’s commitment at the October 2013 London Summit of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) to adopt a right to information law. It … Continue reading →

The Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD) participated in the International Media Assessment Mission to Sri Lanka from 8 to 14 May. The aim of the Mission was to assess the media freedom situation in Sri Lanka and to make recommendations regarding media reform needs going forward. The Mission welcomed the positive changes in the … Continue reading →

There are significant discrepancies in protection for the right to information (RTI) in two countries in the Caribbean region. Assessments of two of these laws released today by the Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD) were based on the RTI Rating, an internationally renowned tool for assessing the strength of RTI legislation developed by CLD … Continue reading →

Today, the 16th annual Joint Declaration by the four specialised mandates tasked with promoting and protecting freedom of expression at the UN, OAS, OSCE and African Commission was launched in Riga, Latvia, at the UNESCO World Press Freedom Day event. The Declaration, prepared with the assistance of the Centre for Law and Democracy and ARTICLE … Continue reading →

The Centre for Law and Democracy participated in the Nepal International Media Partnership (NIMP) mission to Nepal from 19 to 23 April, the eighth such mission which has been held since the first one ten years ago in 2005. The aim of this Mission was to assess the media freedom situation in Nepal and to … Continue reading →

In the few months since it was elected, the new government of Sri Lanka has put in place a process to prepare a right to information (RTI) law and proposed a set of constitutional amendments which would provide fundamental rights protection for access to information. The Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD) very much welcomes … Continue reading →

In 2012, the government of Newfoundland and Labrador faced widespread criticism for legislation which significantly weakened provincial right to information (RTI) legislation. In a major about face, the government has committed to adopting a new RTI law which would dramatically improve the right to information system. The draft Bill under consideration was produced by a … Continue reading →

On 1 April 2015, the Myanmar Media Lawyers’ Network (MMLN) held its very first General Assembly, with the support of the Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD) and International Media Support (IMS). The members formally adopted the MMLN Constitution and then, pursuant to that Constitution, held an election for 15 members of the Executive Committee. … Continue reading →

Yesterday, Canada’s Information Commissioner, Suzanne Legault, released a report – Striking the Right Balance for Transparency: Recommendations to Modernize the Access to Information Act – which includes 85 recommendations for revamping Canada’s right to information system. The recommendations include tightening the regime of exceptions in Canada’s Access to Information Act, putting in place stronger oversight … Continue reading →

Arab and international human rights and media experts world have adopted a Statement setting out a number of clear standards regarding the regulation of journalism. These include that it is not for governments to decide who is and who is not a journalist and that journalists have the right to choose freely which unions, associations … Continue reading →

Yesterday the European Investment Bank (EIB) formally adopted a revised transparency policy including controversial exceptions to the disclosure of internal documents. This watered down transparency policy comes right before the bank will start implementing the € 315 billion Juncker plan and risks undermining the impact of EU recovery efforts. The new transparency policy has been … Continue reading →

In early 2014, Pakistan’s Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication introduced a draft cybercrime ordinance, the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act. At the time, human rights advocates, including the Centre for Law and Democracy, criticised the draft as a threat to Pakistan’s burgeoning online community and cautioned that its broad language threatened to turn millions … Continue reading →