552 Results
Quotes
Quotes based on international documents, law, and treaties- "Transparency in regard to application for the exploitation of broadcasting services may be guaranteed by including provisions in national legislation obliging applicants for the operation of a radio or television broadcasting service to provide the service or the authority empowered to authorise the operation of the service with information which is fairly wide-ranging in its scope and quite precise in its content. the information which may be subject to disclosure may be schematically grouped into three categories: first category: information concerning the persons or bodies participating in the structure which is to operate the service and on the nature and the extent of the respective participation of these persons or bodies in the structure concerned; second category: information on the nature and the extent of the interests held by the above persons and bodies in other media or in media enterprises, even in other economic sectors; third category: information on other persons or bodies likely to exercise a significant influence on the programming policy of this service by the provision of certain kinds of resources, the nature of which should be clearly specified in the licensing procedures, to the service or to the persons or bodies involved in the latter's operations."
- "Where media is owned by political parties or politicians, member states should ensure that this is made transparent to the public."
- "A victim’s right of access to justice includes all available judicial, administrative, or other public processes under existing domestic laws as well as under international law. Obligations arising under international law to secure the individual or collective right to access justice and fair and impartial proceedings should be made available under domestic laws. To that end, States should: (a) Make known, through public and private mechanisms, all available remedies for violations of international human rights and humanitarian law."
- "All the necessary information about the sittings of judicial bodies shall be made available to the public by the judicial body."
- "Appropriate measures should be taken to inform the public of the location and competence of the courts and the way in which proceedings are commenced or defended before the courts."
- "An effective, fair and transparent complaints procedure requires that potential complainants be informed of the means by which the complaint should be made, which body it will be considered by and the timeframe for its resolution. In addition, complainants should be aware of the type and amount of evidence needed to sustain their allegations with sufficient factual and legal remedies available."
- "The right to challenge electoral results and for aggrieved parties to seek redress should be provided by law. The petition process should set out the scope of available review, procedures for its initiation and the powers of the independent judicial body charged with such review."
- "Any judgment rendered in a criminal case or in a suit at law shall be made public except where the interest of juvenile persons otherwise requires or the proceedings concern matrimonial disputes or the guardianship of children."
- "In the determination of his civil rights and obligations or of any criminal charge against him, everyone is entitled to a fair and public hearing within a reasonable time by an independent and impartial tribunal established by law. Judgment shall be pronounced publicly but the press and public may be excluded from all or part of the trial in the interests of morals, public order or national security in a democratic society, where the interests of juveniles or the protection of the private life of the parties so require, or to the extent strictly necessary in the opinion of the court in special circumstances where publicity would prejudice the interests of justice."
- "Even in cases in which the public is excluded from the trial, the judgment, including the essential findings, evidence and legal reasoning must be made public, except where the interest of juvenile persons otherwise requires, or the proceedings concern matrimonial disputes or the guardianship of children."
- "a) All information regarding judicial proceedings shall be accessible to the public, except information or documents that have been specifically determined by judicial officials not to be made public. b) States must ensure that proper systems exist for recording all proceedings before judicial bodies, storing such information and making it accessible to the public. c) All decisions of judicial bodies must be published and available to everyone throughout the country. d) The cost to the public of obtaining records of judicial proceedings or decisions should be kept to a minimum and should not be so high as to amount to a denial of access."
- "g. Judgment should be pronounced in public. h. Reasons should be given for the judgment. Tribunals should indicate with sufficient clarity the grounds on which they base their decisions."
- "Article 6 [of the ECHR] states that judgment shall be pronounced publicly. This provision is not subject to any exceptions of the kind permitted under the rule that hearings should be held in public. It is however also intended to contribute to a fair trail through public scrutiny."
- "The right to an effective remedy includes: (iii) access to the factual information concerning the violations."
- "Financing of political parties must be fully transparent, which requires political parties, in particular: i. to keep strict accounts of all income and expenditure, which must be submitted, at least once a year, to an independent auditing authority and be made public."
- "Urges States parties, in accordance with articles 10 and 13 of the Convention, to continue to take measures to enhance transparency in public administration, including through the introduction of effective measures facilitating access by the public to information, and requests the Secretariat to provide technical assistance upon request to States parties seeking to introduce or enhance measures in this area, in cooperation, where appropriate, with interested donors. "
- "Urges States parties to raise public awareness of corruption and laws and regulations against it, including the Convention itself, as well as the existing rights of and possibilities for the general public to obtain information on the organization, functioning and decision-making processes of their public administrations."
- "Urges States parties to raise public awareness of corruption and laws and regulations against it, as well as the existing rights of and possibilities for the general public with respect to obtaining information on the organization, functioning and decision-making processes of their public administration and raise public awareness of the responsibilities of public officials with respect to the performance of their functions, with due regard to the protection of privacy and personal data."
- "[States should] ensure transparency of the electoral process, particularly in: 8.2.2. electoral campaign funding and party financing: legislation in this field is necessary not only to regulate the origin of funding and set a limit on expenditure, but also to enable all voters to have access to data on the nature and amount of campaign and party spending. "
- "Member states may limit the right of access to official documents. Limitations should be set down precisely in law, be necessary in a democratic society and be proportionate to the aim of protecting: i. national security, defence and international relations; ii. public safety; iii. the prevention, investigation and prosecution of criminal activities; iv. privacy and other legitimate private interests; v. commercial and other economic interests, be they private or public; vi. the equality of parties concerning court proceedings; vii. nature; viii. inspection, control and supervision by public authorities; ix. the economic, monetary and exchange rate policies of the state; x. the confidentiality of deliberations within or between public authorities during the internal preparation of a matter. 2. Access to a document may be refused if the disclosure of the information contained in the official document would or would be likely to harm any of the interests mentioned in paragraph 1, unless there is an overriding public interest in disclosure. "
- "[States should foster citizen participation in the electoral process by] guaranteeing that all possible means are used to make all polling stations accessible. "
- "A request for access to an official document shall be dealt with promptly. The decision shall be reached, communicated and executed as soon as possible or within a reasonable time limit which has been specified beforehand. "
- " Member states should guarantee the right of everyone to have access, on request, to official documents held by public authorities. This principle should apply without discrimination on any ground, including that of national origin. "
- "Each Party may limit the right of access to official documents. Limitations shall be set down precisely in law, be necessary in a democratic society and be proportionate to the aim of protecting: a. national security, defence and international relations; b. public safety; c. the prevention, investigation and prosecution of criminal activities; d. disciplinary investigations; e. inspection, control and supervision by public authorities; f. privacy and other legitimate private interests; g. commercial and other economic interests; h. the economic, monetary and exchange rate policies of the State; i. the equality of parties in court proceedings and the effective administration of justice; j. environment; or k. the deliberations within or between public authorities concerning the examination of a matter. Concerned States may, at the time of signature or when depositing their instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession, by a declaration addressed to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, declare that communication with the reigning Family and its Household or the Head of State shall also be included among the possible limitations. 2. Access to information contained in an official document may be refused if its disclosure would or would be likely to harm any of the interests mentioned in paragraph 1, unless there is an overriding public interest in disclosure. 3. The Parties shall consider setting time limits beyond which the limitations mentioned in paragraph 1 would no longer apply. "
- "Fees for requests for information should not be such as to constitute an unreasonable impediment to access to information."
- "[States should foster citizen participation in the electoral process by] ensuring freedom of political debate in the media and guaranteeing that electoral campaigns are open and accessible and that they allow genuine debate that is not only of interest to voters but also informative for their choices. This requires, in particular, transparency and pluralism of all media as well as equal access for all candidates and political parties to the public service media, which should be impartial. Any national regulations on election campaigns should strike a fair balance between freedom of expression and ensuring equal opportunities. "
- "The human rights and fundamental freedoms of every person shall be exercised with due regard to the human rights and fundamental freedoms of others. The exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of others, and to meet the just requirements of national security, public order, public health, public safety, public morality, as well as the general welfare of the peoples in a democratic society. "
- "Every person has the right to freedom of opinion and expression, including freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information, whether orally, in writing or through any other medium of that person’s choice. "
- "[States should] ensure transparency of the electoral process, particularly in: 8.2.3. the conduct of the ballot: it is advisable to ensure that polling stations are appropriately designed, that transparent ballot boxes are used, that voting booths are available, that counting takes place in public and that distance voting is well regulated. "
- "An applicant for an official document should not be obliged to give reasons for having access to the official document. "
- "Each Party shall guarantee the right of everyone, without discrimination on any ground, to have access, on request, to official documents held by public authorities. 2. Each Party shall take the necessary measures in its domestic law to give effect to the provisions for access to official documents set out in this Convention. 3. These measures shall be taken at the latest at the time of entry into force of this Convention in respect of that Party.` "
- "The presence of international observers should be facilitated, in line with the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation and also with the Venice Commission’s Guidelines on an internationally recognised status of election observers. National observers, including from civil society, should be authorised in all member States, in line with the Venice Commission’s Declaration of Global Principles for Non-partisan Election Observation and Monitoring by Citizen Organizations and the Code of Conduct for Non-partisan Election Observers and Monitors. "
- "An applicant for an official document shall not be obliged to give reasons for having access to the official document. "
- "Observation of elections a. Both national and international observers should be given the widest possible opportunity to participate in an election observation exercise."
- "Observation of elections b. Observation must not be confined to election day itself, but must include the registration period of candidates and, if necessary, of electors, as well as the electoral campaign. It must make it possible to determine whether irregularities occurred before, during or after the elections. It must always be possible during vote counting. "
- "To give effect to the right of access to information, States parties should proactively put in the public domain Government information of public interest. States parties should make every effort to ensure easy, prompt, effective and practical access to such information. States parties should also enact the necessary procedures, whereby one may gain access to information, such as by means of freedom of information legislation. "
- " Member states should guarantee the right of everyone to have access, on request, to official documents held by public authorities. This principle should apply without discrimination on any ground, including that of national origin. "
- "Member states may limit the right of access to official documents. Limitations should be set down precisely in law, be necessary in a democratic society and be proportionate to the aim of protecting: i. national security, defence and international relations; ii. public safety; iii. the prevention, investigation and prosecution of criminal activities; iv. privacy and other legitimate private interests; v. commercial and other economic interests, be they private or public; vi. the equality of parties concerning court proceedings; vii. nature; viii. inspection, control and supervision by public authorities; ix. the economic, monetary and exchange rate policies of the state; x. the confidentiality of deliberations within or between public authorities during the internal preparation of a matter. "
- "An applicant for an official document should not be obliged to give reasons for having access to the official document. "
- "Each Party shall guarantee the right of everyone, without discrimination on any ground, to have access, on request, to official documents held by public authorities. 2. Each Party shall take the necessary measures in its domestic law to give effect to the provisions for access to official documents set out in this Convention. 3. These measures shall be taken at the latest at the time of entry into force of this Convention in respect of that Party. "
- "Each Party may limit the right of access to official documents. Limitations shall be set down precisely in law, be necessary in a democratic society and be proportionate to the aim of protecting: a. national security, defence and international relations; b. public safety; c. the prevention, investigation and prosecution of criminal activities; d. disciplinary investigations; e. inspection, control and supervision by public authorities; f. privacy and other legitimate private interests; g. commercial and other economic interests; h. the economic, monetary and exchange rate policies of the State; i. the equality of parties in court proceedings and the effective administration of justice; j. environment; or k. the deliberations within or between public authorities concerning the examination of a matter. "
- "An applicant for an official document shall not be obliged to give reasons for having access to the official document. "
- "A request for access to an official document shall be dealt with promptly. The decision shall be reached, communicated and executed as soon as possible or within a reasonable time limit which has been specified beforehand. "
- "States should put in place a range of measures, including those highlighted in our Joint Declaration of 12 December 2007, to create an environment in which a pluralistic media sector can flourish. These should include, among others, obligations of transparency of media ownership, licensing of different types of broadcasters to promote diversity, rules to prevent undue concentration of media ownership and measures to promote content diversity among and within media outlets. "
- "The right to information is hereby guaranteed in accordance with the following principles: (b) Every person has the right to access information of private bodies that may assist in the exercise or protection of any right expeditiously and inexpensively. "
- "Public bodies and relevant private bodies must proactively publish information. "
- "Each information holder must create, keep, organise and maintain its information in a manner which facilitates the right of access to information, as provided in this Act. "
- "Subject to this Act, every person has an enforceable right to access information from (a) a public body or relevant private body; and (b) a private body, where the information may assist in the exercise or protection of any right. "
- "Notwithstanding any of the exemptions in this Part, an information holder may only refuse a requester access to information if the harm to the interest protected under the relevant exemption that would result from the release of the information demonstrably outweighs the public interest in the release of the information. "
- "Subject to subsection (2), an information officer may refuse a request for information if its release would involve the unreasonable disclosure of personal information about a natural third party, including a deceased individual. "