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Alert

Access to information threatened in Mendoza and Santa Fe provinces

(PERIODISTAS/IFEX) - On 21 September 2004, a number of organisations, including PERIODISTAS, sent letters to the Chamber of Deputies in the provinces of Mendoza and Santa Fe, calling on them to remove certain restrictions from two access to information bills.

In both Mendoza and Santa Fe, the Senates recently modified draft laws on access to information, adding a condition requiring those who request information from the provincial government, or any companies or entities under its jurisdiction, to demonstrate a "legitimate reason" for needing the information.

The protesting organisations said this condition violates constitutional principles and poses an unacceptable limitation in a democratic system that should be based on transparency and openness with respect to government actions. The draft law approved by the Mendoza provincial Senate, in particular, establishes a number of broadly defined exceptions that leave room for government officials to make arbitrary decisions on access to information matters.

The bills will be sent to the Chamber of Deputies in each province for analysis and discussion.

Organisations such as PERIODISTAS have been promoting a national access to information bill since 2001. The bill was approved by the country's Chamber of Deputies, but has not yet been approved by the national Senate (see IFEX alert of 9 September 2004).