Right2Know Protests Against Info Bill

The following article was published online by SABC News

The Right2Know Campaign is staging a protest action outside parliament against the Protection of Information Bill. An Adhoc Committee resumed its deliberations on the Bill today, after a short winter recess. The Bill is aimed at protecting information held by the State, which is deemed to be valuable or sensitive.

The Campaign’s Tinashe Njanji says, “So we are here to show the presence of the civil society that we are concerned with the Bill itself. Our concern is that we’re currently under a cloud of corruption. And obviously the secrecy bill, if it is passed, we are going to have other corruption swept under the carpet in the name of the Bill as well.”

There are calls for the ruling party to go beyond concessions promised last month. During the parliamentary recess, warnings went up from several quarters that the climb-down did not defuse a fundamental threat to freedom of information and expression in the draft legislation.

The ANC last month agreed to restrict powers to classify information to State security bodies. The Right2Know campaign says it will now press lawmakers to restrict instances where intelligence officials could classify information. Rights groups, Cosatu and the opposition hope assurances are cast in writing from next week.

Source: SABC News