Moldova: Moldovan law on information access seriously violated – survey

This is the conclusion drawn by experts of Transparency International Moldova, the Centre of Journalistic Research and the Independent Press Association, which have carried out a research on access to information.

Transparency International Moldova director Lilia Carasciuc today told a news conference at the Infotag news agency that the research was conducted between May and September 2004 at 95 state bodies and structures.

“We sent questionnaires to the heads of these structures, asking them to answer a number of questions about the observance of the law on access to information. Twenty-eight per cent of the respondents, parliament and the government included, refused to answer,” Carasciuc said.

Those who answered did it between two and 80 days, while legislation stipulates a maximum of 15 days for responding. Only 11 structures have public-relations services, Carasciuc said.

According to the research, 66.6 per cent of the Moldovan population know about their right to information access. One in every two citizens has at least once applied for various information, and two-thirds of the applicants received official answers.

The most disciplined responders are employees of city halls and district councils, as well as parliament and the president's office. It is the most difficult to obtain information from the police, prosecution bodies, courts and the government, the researchers said.

The research showed that only 11 lawsuits on violation of the right to information access were filed in 2003-04. Three state organizations lost their cases.