The PJS organised a workshop on 1 June to address the draft law on the right to access information, which is currently being discussed in the Cabinet of Ministers. The event was attended by the president of the Palestinian Anti Corruption Commission, Raed Radwan, the director of the Palestinian Independent Commission for Human Rights (PICHR), Ammar Dweik, representatives from human rights and freedom of expression organisations, and members of the union.
The attendees agreed to reject the bill, which raises concerns over transparency, media freedom and the people’s right to know. In particular, they criticised the government’s plan to appoint a cabinet minister, instead of an independent commissioner, to supervise the creation and management of the Independent Information Commission, an independent body that regulates the access to information. A move that contradicts international standards and the people’s right to know.
Another point of contention is the fact that the government does not commit itself in the draft to the voluntary disclosure of information, disregarding the principles of transparency. If the aforementioned article is included, the government and administrations will have to publish information systematically and voluntarily, rather than waiting for a request to disclose it.
At the end of the workshop, the participants asked the PJS and PICHR to send an official letter to the Cabinet of Ministers with their recommendations.
IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said: “It is not acceptable that successive Palestinian governments keep backtracking from the work of previous administrations, showing a complete disregard for the people’s right to information. It is time to put an end to a two-decades delay since the first draft of the right to information law was discussed by the Palestinian Legislative Council in 2005. We call on the Palestinian government to commit to the draft law proposed in 2018, on which a consensus was reached by civil society organisations and independent institutions, including the IFJ.