A dialogue seminar to discuss the draft law on the right of access to information »

Baghdad – INA – Malath Al-Amin The Burj Babel Organization held a dialogue symposium to discuss the draft law on the right of access to information at the headquarters of the High Commission for Human Rights, with the aim of preparing the law in preparation for presenting it to the House of Representatives in the coming months to contribute to monitoring the exchange outlets, bridging the sources of corruption, and spreading transparency in Dealing with government departments. The Vice President of the Burj Babel Organization, Dhikra Sarsam, said today, Tuesday, to the (INA), that “the organization held a symposium yesterday in cooperation with the Human Rights Commission, which is part of a series of dialogue seminars with the concerned parties and those benefiting from the adoption of the (Right to Access to Information) law.” “Including the Ministries of Interior, Culture, and Justice, along with the Iraqi Media Network, the Media and Communications Commission, the Human Rights Commission, the Journalists Syndicate, the Jurists Syndicate, and others,” noting that “the law will guide the principle of transparency and regulate the process of the right of access to information by people and all stakeholders.” She added, “The draft law (right of access to information) was prepared by a committee of specialists in the constitution, international law, and Iraqi law, and it consists of 20 articles that are subject to discussion before it is finalized. Therefore, the Tower of Babel seeks, through these seminars, to involve the largest possible number of interested people and beneficiaries of this.” The law will be enriched with their ideas and viewpoints, in preparation for presenting it in the final form to Parliament when its committees are formed, and for it to be the first law to be discussed in the current Parliament in its fourth session.” Sarsam continued, “The law preparation committee has been holding continuous meetings since the beginning of last year to choose paragraphs and articles that are appropriate to the reality of the Iraqi constitution and Iraqi laws, to be a worthy draft that contributes to building a democratic society that contributes to correcting mistakes and gives individuals the right to access information.” For his part, the spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, Major General Saad Maan, said, “The laws currently in effect have been issued since the beginning of the founding of the Iraqi state, some of which date back to the 1940s, which requires amending these laws and making them compatible with the current developments in society and with the rights recognized by international conventions.” He explained that “the Ministry of Interior has issued a law that the individual and the media have the right to access information because it contributes to curbing corruption and the corrupt,” excluding from that “information related to national security and the rights of convicts until the judiciary proves that.” In addition, journalist Muntadhar Nasser pointed out that “the refusal of government agencies to facilitate obtaining official information under many pretexts has thwarted the efforts of many journalists to complete their reports and investigations on a specific aspect of the state or society.” He added, “Approval of this law will enhance access to information withheld from the media and individuals, which will contribute to increasing transparency, reducing corruption rates, exposing the corrupt, and returning society to its democratic path.”