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Golden key and padlock survey 2010 - Open & secretive government
institutions in Zimbabwe
MISA-Zimbabwe
October 05, 2010
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1.1
Introduction
The Right to
Know or Freedom of Information (FOI) is a fundamental human right,
which is vital for both citizens and the media. Enshrined in the
Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, the Right to Know is affirmed in
Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights which states: Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion
and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without
interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas
through any media and regardless of frontiers.
The African
Charter on Human and Peoples Rights also affirms this right.
Article 9 of the Charter states:
Every individual
shall have the right to receive information . . .
The Right
to Know underpins all other human rights. For example, freedom
of expression and thought inherently rely on the availability
of adequate information to make informed opinions. Likewise, the
realisation of the right to personal safety also requires having
sufficient information in that regard.
The Right
to Know encompasses the right to seek information, as well as
the duty to give information, to store, organize and make it available
and to withhold it only when it is proven that this is in the
best public interest.
Therefore, the
practice of routinely withholding information from the public creates
'subjects' rather than 'citizens' and is
a violation of peoples' rights.
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