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28.08.2007 | permalink

Chile transparency law just a fig-leaf, says critic

Government spokesman Ricardo Lagos Weber announced Wednesday that Chile will soon have a new law guaranteeing citizen access to information. [...] ”Chile is pushing for the new transparency law as part of its bid to join the prestigious Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD),” said critic Miguel Fredes, an environmental attorney who is suing Chile’s government to get access to public papers. [...] Fredes first became interested in Chile’s transparency and public access policies when he requested the names of the companies producing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and the locations where the GMOs were growing. ”The government refused to give me the information, saying that the names could harm the interest and the secret business policies of the GMO companies,” said Fredes.

• The Santiago Times, Chile: Chile transparency law just a fig-leaf, says critic