National Dialogue highlights freedom of information law’s value

THE National Dialogue’s Committee on Human Rights kick-started its discussion sessions on Sunday, with participants emphasising the necessity of issuing a law on the freedom of information as means of eradicating rumours, the Middle East News Agency (MENA)reported.

The Committee’s work and discussions come as part of the National Dialogue’s political axis. Yesterday’s meeting was held at the Cairo International Convention Centre in Nasr City.

Speaking to yesterday’s meeting, Committee Rapporteur Nevine Musaad indicated that the discussions would deal with the issues of the regulation of data processing and provision and the supervisory body, in addition to the Freedom of Information Act.

In this connection, she noted that access to information is provided for under Article 86 of the Egyptian Constitution, and is also contained in the country’s National Strategy for Human Rights.

Elaborating, Musaad said that several draft bills on freedom of the exchange of information have been put forward since the year 2011, including one by the Ministry of Communications in 2012, another by the Ministry of Justice in 2013 and a third by the Legislative Reform Committee established by the President of the Republic in 2015.

For his part, Assistant Rapporteur of the Committee Ahmed Ragheb, emphasised that the Egyptian Constitution provides that the circulation and access to information constitutes an inherent right for every Egyptian, not limited to the press.

Emad El-Din Hussein, a member of the National Dialogue’s Board of Trustees, stressed that the fact that achieving a balanced and appropriate law would serve as an important tool for eliminating the phenomenon of malicious rumours and detecting problems and addressing them at the right time.

The aspired law, he added, would also be instrumental in corruption combating efforts.

Another speaker, Senate member Tarek Saada who is the head of the Media Syndicate, underlined the need for an information law that can be satisfactory to all, upholding the right of citizens and the state as well as guaranteeing availability of documented information.