Dear Peter, I definitely agree with your argument that explain. 2013/3/13 Peter Noorlander <peter.noorlan...@mediadefence.org>
> Hi Foialisters, > > I wish there were sufficient tolerance of critical journalism in Rwanda to > really make something of this new law. Sadly there isn't. > > Three journalists are currently in prison, one serving three years for > criticising Kagame, one serving four for somehow having undermined national > security through a piece she wrote and one serving a year for advice in an > agony aunt column that referred to beautiful girls "formerly referred to as > Abatutsi". The case of the first two is pending before the African > Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights ( > http://www.mediadefence.org/news-story/jailed-rwandan-journalists-appeal-african-commission > ). > > Another one has a prosecution hanging over his head for having been > abducted by security services and having reported that to the police; while > a radio reporter who was acquitted of the crime of genocide ideology for > inadvertent use of the wrong word for 'victim' when referring to genocide > has been sacked and can't find any radio work because he is on a blacklist. > > Over the last few years several have fled the country and one was > assassinated in Uganda not long ago. > > How can FOI work in a climate like that? > > I know that it is important to get the right legal structures in place - > but before you do that there needs to be a minimum level of respect for > media freedom, lest the laws become box-ticking exercises to make the > country look good 'on paper' so they can get World Bank money. There's got > to be real political will - not just political will to adopt a law, but > political will to implement that law and believe in what it means and > stands for. > > I would argue that in Rwanda there simply isn't that minimum level of > respect for media freedom, and human rights generally, for an FOI law to > have any kind of impact. If there was, the journalists I refer to would > not be in prison, have fled the country or been assassinated. > > So long as journalists are still in prison for things like criticising the > president, there's absolute no point advocating for FOI. > > Peter > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: foianet-boun...@lists.foiadvocates.info [mailto: > foianet-boun...@lists.foiadvocates.info] On Behalf Of > foianet-requ...@lists.foiadvocates.info > Sent: 13 March 2013 17:13 > To: foia...@lists.foiadvocates.info > Subject: FOIAnet Digest, Vol 227, Issue 3 > > Send FOIAnet mailing list submissions to > foia...@lists.foiadvocates.info > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > > http://lists.foiadvocates.info/listinfo.cgi/foianet-foiadvocates.info > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > foianet-requ...@lists.foiadvocates.info > > You can reach the person managing the list at > foianet-ow...@lists.foiadvocates.info > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than > "Re: Contents of FOIAnet digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. RTI Rwanda (Henry Maina) > 2. Rwanda: Progressive Access to Information Law adopted > (David Banisar) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Wed, 13 Mar 2013 11:22:48 +0000 > From: Henry Maina <he...@article19.org> > To: "foia...@lists.foiadvocates.info" > <foia...@lists.foiadvocates.info> > Subject: [foianet] RTI Rwanda > Message-ID: > <1e1180dcbb6f45409d1fe1591145aa9477789...@a19mail.aricle19.org> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" > > Dear All, > > Rwanda became the 11th country in Africa to have a comprehensive Right to > Information law after the was formally gazetted on 11th March 2013. The law > can be found at the website of the Office of the Prime Minister, Official > Gazette No 10 of 11th march 2013. > > > http://www.primature.gov.rw/publications/pointer/0.html?tx_mmdamfilelist_pi1[getSubFolders]=fileadmin%2Fuser_upload%2Fdocuments%2FOfficial_Gazettes%2F2013_Official_Gazettes%2F&tx_mmdamfilelist_pi1[getsubfolders]=fileadmin%2Fuser_upload%2Fdocuments%2FOfficial_Gazettes%2F&cHash=f618e2be18df44f0a24f692d33613f21 > > HENRY O. MAINA > DIRECTOR > ARTICLE 19 KENYA/EASTERN AFRICA > P O BOX 2653,00100 > NAIROBI > TEL:+254 (20) 3862230/2 > FAX:+254 (20) 3862231 > EMAIL: he...@article19.org > > -------------- next part -------------- > A non-text attachment was scrubbed... > Name: image001.png > Type: image/png > Size: 13730 bytes > Desc: image001.png > URL: < > http://lists.foiadvocates.info/pipermail/foianet-foiadvocates.info/attachments/20130313/664dc9f7/attachment-0001.png > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 2 > Date: Wed, 13 Mar 2013 16:58:46 +0000 > From: David Banisar <bani...@article19.org> > To: Foianet Net <foianet@foiadvocates.info> > Subject: [foianet] Rwanda: Progressive Access to Information Law > adopted > Message-ID: <b57df5c0-8f5e-48ba-9559-c64088fb7...@article19.org> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1252" > > Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. > > Rwanda: Progressive Access to Information Law adopted ARTICLE 19 welcomes > a comprehensive new access to information law, which came into effect in > Rwanda yesterday (11th March 2013). This is a positive step by the Rwandan > Government, which must be given full effect. > > ?This passage of this law shows that the Rwandan government is keen to > entrench transparency and accountability as well as enhancing greater > participation by citizens in the management of public affairs. We are > enormously proud to be associated with the spirited campaign that has > championed this law? said Henry Maina, Director of ARTICLE19 Eastern Africa. > > ARTICLE 19 has led multi-stakeholder initiatives advocating for the > enactment of this law with local groups like the Rwanda Civil Society > Platform. > > ARTICLE 19 finds the law exemplary in terms of its scope of application. > The law applies not only to public bodies but also to some private bodies, > which carry out work in the public interest. There is a strong emphasis on > the importance of the public interest in the right to information and we > are pleased to see that this is reflected by limited fees to pay, which > will cover the cost of the reproduction of papers and for postage. > > The law also has clear provisions on proactive disclosure and allows for > all people to seek, receive and disseminate information, which is a > progressive step as other laws on the continent only allow citizens this > right. > > ARTICLE 19 notes that the law has some broad exemptions, where access to > information may be restricted in relation to national security and the > administration of justice and trade secrets. > > ARTICLE 19 now calls on the Minister of Information to speed up the > consultation process on implementation guidelines will set clear time > limits for the provision of information or explanations where access to > such information has been denied. > > ?We are hopeful that the ministerial implementation guidelines together > with oversight by the Office of the Ombudsman should ensure that this new > law properly implemented? added Maina > > ARTICLE 19 recommends that all access to information applications should > be addressed within 30 days. > > ?It is absolutely vital that the guidelines make it clear that where > requests for information have not been dealt with in time or where the > information requested has been denied, the person requesting that > information is entitled to an appeal to the Office of Ombudsman? added > Maina. > > ARTICLE 19 recommends that an appeal should place within 60 days. > > The passage of this Law makes Rwanda the 11th African country with right > to information law and 94th country globally. The other African countries > with comprehensive access to information laws include South Africa, Angola, > Zimbabwe, Liberia, Ethiopia, Uganda, Nigeria, Niger, Guinea-Conakry and > Tunisia. > > > > > > Find us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter > Follow our RSS feed Forward to a friend > > > > Friend on Facebook > > Follow on Twitter > > Forward to a Friend > > Our press team are ready for queries and interview requests at: > T: +44 (0) 20 7324 2510 > E: presst...@article19.org > > > > About ARTICLE 19 > ARTICLE 19 is an independent human rights organisation that works globally > to protect and promote the right to freedom of expression. It takes its > name from Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which > guarantees free speech. > follow on Twitter | friend on Facebook | forward to a friend You are > receiving this email because you signed up during an event or online and > requested updates on freedom of expression and information. > > We can be contacted at: > ARTICLE 19 > 60 Farringdon Road > London, England EC1R 3GA > United Kingdom > > Add us to your address book > > Tel: +44 20 7324 2500 > Fax: +44 20 7490 0566 > Email: i...@article19.org > > This work is licensed under a Creative Commons > Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. > > ARTICLE 19, Registered Charity no. 327421, a Company Limited by Guarantee > registered in England and Wales no. 2097222. > > -------------- next part -------------- > An HTML attachment was scrubbed... > URL: < > http://lists.foiadvocates.info/pipermail/foianet-foiadvocates.info/attachments/20130313/b5ce348e/attachment.htm > > > > End of FOIAnet Digest, Vol 227, Issue 3 > *************************************** > > -- Ms Fatima Diallo PhD affliate Africa Studies Centrum, Leiden, Netherlands. Secretary ATI working committee, African Network of Constitutional Lawyers.
