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Hungary: Government May Restrict Access To
Information
14:52, May 13, 2013
The Hungarian Parliament adopted a controversial amendment to its Freedom
of Information Act on April 30, a move that will make civilian and
journalistic access to information more difficult, Atlatszo.hu
reported.
The amendment was passed less than 48 hours after its introduction.
The amendment severely limits citizens' access to public information, as
it
limits the amount of data individuals may obtain. The amendment also
requires that individuals justify requests for information related to court
cases, public bodies, and public officials, all information that was
previously in the public domain, according to Transparency
International
The amendment is allegedly meant to limit the number of `abusive' requests
for information, but local organizations, including Transparency
International Hungary, watchdog K-monitor, the Hungarian Civil Liberties
Union, and OCCRP partner Atlatszo.hu have decried the sudden change. All
four organizations quit the anti-corruption group formed by the Hungarian
Ministry of Justice in protest.
The quartet also petitioned President Janos Ader to veto the amendment.
While Ader vetoed the amendment, and said that it gave `public service
entities excessive right to decide what qualifies as an `abusive demand' of
information, he did not send it to the Constitutional Court. Under
Hungarian law, Parliament can revote on the issue, thus bypassing the veto
and passing the law unchanged.
In a commentary on the amendment, Atlatszo.hu criticized the change and
highlighted the importance of continued transparency.
Every citizen has the right to be informed about the spending of public
money. Transparency is pivotal in any democracy, and the amendment voted on
in Parliament calls that into question. Passing an amendment reshaping the
sphere of freedom of information in only two days is unacceptable, the
investigative reporting center added. Even more conspicuous is the fact
that the amendment was proposed when civil society organizations requested
access to the bids in a tender for tobacco retail licenses, which
reportedly went to government party loyalists. This law will allow public
decision makers to get away with bias and allow corruption to go
unpunished, Atlatszo said.
Atlatszo added that the new, government friendly understanding of freedom
of information enables users of public funds, mainly government offices and
municipalities, to keep the allocation of public funds secret. The law
contradicts the fundamental ethical norms of a democracy and places
measures included in the Hungarian government's anti-graft action plan into
doubt.
Transparency International Hungary, K-Monitor watchdog for public funds,
Hungarian Civil Liberties Union and Atlatszo.hu
investigative
portal are convinced that the amendment of the law on freedom of
information discredits all previous stances of the government to stop
corruption. We are still devoted to make Hungary a better society free of
corruption, but we will not lend our reputation to the mockery our
government orchestrated in the anti-corruption arena, Atlatszo said.
https://reportingproject.net
http://hetq.am/eng/news/26421/hungary-government-may-restrict-access-to-information.html
Information
14:52, May 13, 2013
The Hungarian Parliament adopted a controversial amendment to its Freedom
of Information Act on April 30, a move that will make civilian and
journalistic access to information more difficult, Atlatszo.hu
reported.
The amendment was passed less than 48 hours after its introduction.
The amendment severely limits citizens' access to public information, as
it
limits the amount of data individuals may obtain. The amendment also
requires that individuals justify requests for information related to court
cases, public bodies, and public officials, all information that was
previously in the public domain, according to Transparency
International
The amendment is allegedly meant to limit the number of `abusive' requests
for information, but local organizations, including Transparency
International Hungary, watchdog K-monitor, the Hungarian Civil Liberties
Union, and OCCRP partner Atlatszo.hu have decried the sudden change. All
four organizations quit the anti-corruption group formed by the Hungarian
Ministry of Justice in protest.
The quartet also petitioned President Janos Ader to veto the amendment.
While Ader vetoed the amendment, and said that it gave `public service
entities excessive right to decide what qualifies as an `abusive demand' of
information, he did not send it to the Constitutional Court. Under
Hungarian law, Parliament can revote on the issue, thus bypassing the veto
and passing the law unchanged.
In a commentary on the amendment, Atlatszo.hu criticized the change and
highlighted the importance of continued transparency.
Every citizen has the right to be informed about the spending of public
money. Transparency is pivotal in any democracy, and the amendment voted on
in Parliament calls that into question. Passing an amendment reshaping the
sphere of freedom of information in only two days is unacceptable, the
investigative reporting center added. Even more conspicuous is the fact
that the amendment was proposed when civil society organizations requested
access to the bids in a tender for tobacco retail licenses, which
reportedly went to government party loyalists. This law will allow public
decision makers to get away with bias and allow corruption to go
unpunished, Atlatszo said.
Atlatszo added that the new, government friendly understanding of freedom
of information enables users of public funds, mainly government offices and
municipalities, to keep the allocation of public funds secret. The law
contradicts the fundamental ethical norms of a democracy and places
measures included in the Hungarian government's anti-graft action plan into
doubt.
Transparency International Hungary, K-Monitor watchdog for public funds,
Hungarian Civil Liberties Union and Atlatszo.hu
investigative
portal are convinced that the amendment of the law on freedom of
information discredits all previous stances of the government to stop
corruption. We are still devoted to make Hungary a better society free of
corruption, but we will not lend our reputation to the mockery our
government orchestrated in the anti-corruption arena, Atlatszo said.
https://reportingproject.net
http://hetq.am/eng/news/26421/hungary-government-may-restrict-access-to-information.html