El Salvador ranked high for citizen rights to information

El Salvador is now ranked fifth in the world with respect to the quality of its access to information laws. The rankings are produced by a program of  Access Info Europe (AIE) and the Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD).

The strength of El Salvador's ranking is a product of the country's Law of Access to Public Information adopted in 2011.

According to the RTI Rankings site:
This is an extremely well-written law with a robust scope, clearly enumerated procedures, and thorough promotional measures. Its chief weaknesses are the fact that the exceptions aren't harm tested and that the law does not override various other secrecy acts.
Although El Salvador may have a good law, that may not mean that access to information is a right thoroughly enjoyed by Salvadorans as the RTI site notes:
It important to note that the RTI Rating is limited to measuring the legal framework, and does not measure quality of implementation...even relatively strong laws cannot ensure openness if they are not implemented properly.
The government has moved to increase transparency and access to information through a Gobierno Abierto /Open Government website operated by the Secretariat of Citizen Participation, Transparency and Anti-Corruption.   It's a useful starting point for looking up information related to the running of El Salvador's government.


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