DeutschÄhnlicher Stoff auf Deutsch: http://wkeim.bplaced.net/files/de_menschenrechte.htm

Walter Keim, E-mail: walter.keim@gmail.com
Torshaugv. 2 C
N-7020 Trondheim, 1. November 2006

  

To the Private Office of the President of the Assembly
Parliamentary Assembly
Council of Europe
Avenue de l'Europe
F-67075 Strasbourg Cedex

Petition: Access to Information

 

Dear Mr. Sich,

thank you very much for your information dated 13 February 2006 that the petition "Access to information" in Germany has been transmitted to the competent Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly.

Access to information has now been recognized as human right in the following human rights court cases:

I would like to ask you to consider to hand over this letter to the competent Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly.

Thank you in advance.

Yours sincerely,

Walter Keim
8 German states violate the human right of freedom of information: http://wkeim.bplaced.net/files/ifg-result.htm

 

List of appendices:

  1. ECHR decision 11. April 2006: GERAGUYN KHORHURD PATGAMAVORAKAN AKUMB v. ARMENIA: Application no. 11721/04.  http://wkeim.bplaced.net/files/echr-11721-04.htm
  2. 16. October 2006: Justice Initiative Intervenes in Strasbourg Freedom of Information Case: GERAGUYN KHORHURD PATGAMAVORAKAN AKUMB v. ARMENIA: http://www.justiceinitiative.org/db/resource2?res_id=103453

    Conclusion:

    We have argued that the right of access to information held by public authorities is firmly
    established in European and international law and practice. Courts and lawmakers
    throughout the democratic world have determined that the right to receive government
    information is an integral and separate element of freedom of expression, and, like the
    right to impart information and ideas, an actual prerequisite for the meaningful exercise of
    other political rights in a modern democracy. Furthermore, there is a clear trend in the
    democratic world to consider free access to election-related information, and in particular
    campaign finance data, as essential to ensuring the integrity of electoral processes and the
    credibility of the democratic system itself. This Court in Sdruženi recognized an Article
    10 right to receive information held by public authorities independent of any other
    Convention rights or interests. We respectfully urge the Court to take the opportunity
    presented by this case to make clear that Article 10 of the Convention grants individuals
    and other persons a general right of access to information held by public authorities. This
    will bring the Court’s jurisprudence into line with prevailing European and international
    law, and clarify for national courts throughout Europe the importance of access to
    information as a foundation for democratic government.

 

Copy: Petitionsausschuss Bundestag 1-15-06-10000-037433, Petitionsausschuss Baden-Württemberg 14/438, Petitionsausschuss Schleswig-Holstein: L141-16/633, Petitionsauschuss Rheinland-Pfalz LE11/05, Petitionsauschuss Niedersachsen 25554/01/15, Petitionsausschuss Thüringen E-846/05, Presserat Beschwerde BK2-246/06

Copy: Parliamentary Assembly Council of Europe, International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights, OSCE, ECHR (Keim v. Germany Appl. No. 41126/05), FOIAdvocates, CoE Human Rights Commissioner

Continuation:

 

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Colours on picture: dark green: FOIA enacted. Yellow: pending law. FOIA= Freedom of Information Act