(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) – The following is a 27 May 2004 ARTICLE 19 press release: In a Memorandum released today, ARTICLE 19, Global Campaign for Free Expression, welcomes the Access to Information Bill tabled by the Ugandan Government but signals that more work is needed to bring it in line with international standards. On the whole, […]
(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) – The following is a 27 May 2004 ARTICLE 19 press release:
In a Memorandum released today, ARTICLE 19, Global Campaign for Free Expression, welcomes the Access to Information Bill tabled by the Ugandan Government but signals that more work is needed to bring it in line with international standards.
On the whole, the Bill represents a positive effort to operationalise the constitutional guarantee of freedom of information. ARTICLE 19 particularly welcomes the provisions on the duty to publish information whenever this is in the public interest, and the protection granted to ‘whistleblowers’.
At the same time, the Bill still fails to conform fully to international standards on freedom of information. For example, only citizens, not everyone, enjoy the right of access, and the exceptions regime remains unsatisfactory in its vague definitions and lack of a proper harm test. We are also still concerned that the Bill fails adequately to regulate the fees that may be charged for access, and that there is no provision for training, education or public awareness raising on freedom of information issues.
Our concerns about these and some other matters are outlined in detail in ARTICLE 19’s Memorandum, which can be found at http://www.article19.org/docimages/1774.doc.
Notes:
1. The Access to Information Bill, 2004 was published by the Ugandan Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting in April 2004.
