Category Archives: News
Jordan: Internet Blocking Orders Violate Freedom of Expression
The spread of the Internet has led to an unprecedented flowering of expression, democratising the flow of information and allowing ordinary people to access an incredible diversity of news and ideas. By the same token, the Internet has challenged the ability of governments to control information, and some have responded by adopting repressive laws. The … Continue reading
CLD and ICEL Train Public Officials on the Right to Information
Indonesia’s Law on Public Information Disclosure came into force in 2010, but implementation so far has been uneven. Some public bodies have done an excellent job, while others have largely failed to respond to their openness obligations. In an effort to address this, on 29-30 May the Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD) and the … Continue reading
Myanmar: Workshops on Media Law and Defamation
The second Conference on Media Development in Myanmar, held from 20-21 May 2013 and attracting over 300 participants, noted progress in several areas of media development, including the ongoing preparation of four laws, namely a print law; a printers and publishers law; a broadcasting law; and a public service media law. Participants at the conference … Continue reading
International Mandates: Diversity Key in Digital Transition
Today, the 14th 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 San José, Costa Rica. This latest Declaration, prepared with the assistance of the Centre for Law and Democracy and ARTICLE 19, highlights the importance of … Continue reading
RTI Reforms Would Leave Denmark in 78th Place Globally
The new right to information (RTI) legislation being proposed by the Danish government, the Act on Openness in Administration, signally fails to address the very serious problems in the current regime. Alongside minor improvements in some areas, there is substantial regression in terms of the regime of exceptions. Indeed, the new proposals score just one … Continue reading
Afghanistan: Comments on the draft Access Law
The Centre for Law and Democracy has prepared a set of Comments on the draft Access to Information Law published by the Afghan government. There have been discussions in Afghanistan about a right to information law for some time. It is a positive step that the government has published official draft legislation with a view … Continue reading
Canada: Serious Problems in Quebec’s Openness Law
Given the steady stream of corruption and mismanagement allegations that have emanated from the province in recent months, it is hardly revelatory to suggest that Quebec has a problem with transparency. A Submission released today by Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD) spells out in the detail the nature of these problems, and how Quebec’s … Continue reading
Myanmar: Analysis of Government Press Law
The Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD) and International Media Support (IMS) today released Comments on the draft Printing and Publishing Enterprises Law (draft Law) released by the Ministry of Information of Myanmar in early March 2013. In August 2012, the Ministry tasked the Interim Press Council with preparing a draft Press Law, and the … Continue reading
IMF: Transparency Policy Needs Complete Overhaul
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has launched a review its Transparency Policy, last revised in 2009. As part of the Review, the Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD) has produced a Submission assessing the current policy against the standards developed by the Global Transparency Initiative (GTI) (www.ifitransparency.org). Some international financial institutions (IFIs) – including the … Continue reading
Cambodia: Mam Sonando Released
Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD), the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada (LWRC) are pleased to note that Mam Sonando, a Cambodian broadcaster who had been detained for exercising his right to freedom of expression, has been released. He was released only after spending eight months in prison. At an … Continue reading
Canada: Letter to Treasury Board Regarding CLD’s RTI-Rating of Canada
In February 2013, the Centre for Law and Democracy was contacted by the Canadian Press regarding a Memorandum from the Treasury Board disputing CLD’s RTI-Rating of Canada. The Memo makes two key points in defence of Canada’s performance on RTI. The first is that the RTI Rating only measures the letter of the law and … Continue reading
Myanmar: Workshops on Media Law Reform
The authorities in Myanmar are drafting three pieces of media legislation as part of the process of transition to democracy: a print law (currently being prepared by the Interim Press Council); a broadcasting law (currently being prepared by Myanmar Radio and Television, MRTV); and a public service media law (currently being prepared by the Ministry … Continue reading
Indonesia: Analysis of Draft Law on NGOs
The Government of Indonesia is proposing to replace its authoritarian 1985 law on civil society organisations (CSOs) with a new Law Pertaining to Mass Organisations. While this is generally a welcome development, an analysis by the Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD) highlights a number of serious problems with the draft Law, which is currently … Continue reading
Indonesia: CLD and AJI Train RTI Experts
Weak civil society demand for information, combined with a lack of understanding about how to make requests for information, can be a major implementation weakness in countries seeking to implement new right to information (RTI) laws. To help address this problem in Indonesia, the Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD) and the Alliance of Independent … Continue reading
Philippines: OGP Asked to Act on RTI Law Failure
The 15th Philippine National Congress failed to pass a right to information (RTI) law, despite promises by the Aquino administration – to the Philippine people and in its Open Government Partnership (OGP) Action Plan – to ensure the adoption of this key democratic legislation. The Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD) and the Philippine based … Continue reading
Somalia: Analysis of Legal Framework for the Media
The Centre for Law and Democracy, working with the African Union/United Nations Information Support Team (IST), and in partnership with UNESCO, recently released the Somalia: Media Law and Policy Review, analysing the legal framework for media regulation in Somalia. There has been important progress in Somalia in recent months, with the drafting of an interim … Continue reading
Canada: Right to Information Law Needs Major Overhaul
Canada’s right to information system is broken and comprehensive legal reform is now an urgent priority. There has for some time been consensus on this among journalists, civil society, Information Commissioners and even Parliamentary committees. But successive governments have refused to take action to resolve the problem. On International Right to Know Day, 28 September … Continue reading
Nepal: Dekendra Thapa Prosecution Must go Ahead
The Centre for Law and Democracy, as part of the International Media Mission to Nepal, has written to Dr Baburam Bhattarai, the Rt. Honourable Prime Minister of Nepal, urging him not to obstruct the murder case against Dekendra Thapa, a journalist who was brutally tortured and then murdered in 2004. From 3-5 January 2013, the … Continue reading
OGP: Guidelines for Assessing OGP Action Plans
The Centre for Law and Democracy is today releasing a Report – Making the OGP Effective: Guidelines for Assessing OGP Action Plans – which presents nine guidelines for assessing Open Government Partnership (OGP) Participating States’ action plans. The development and implementation of action plans is central to the whole OGP project: they contain the concrete … Continue reading
Egypt: Draft Constitution Leaves Wide Scope to Limit Rights
The Centre for Law and Democracy is today releasing its analysis of the provisions in the draft Egyptian Constitution that protect freedom of expression, information and the media, as the days tick down to the constitutional referendum scheduled for 15 December. Although the draft contains reasonably solid positive protections for freedom of expression, it leaves … Continue reading