Freedom of Information won again - Budapest Police Department’s CCTV system data will be accessible

On 7 Nov, 2006 the Court of the Capitol obligated the Budapest Police Department (BPD) to let HCLU access the data requested in May, 2004.

HCLU’s data request questionnaire consisted of eighty-questions, addressed to each Capitol districts’ police chiefs. The questions were referring to CCTV camera systems in public spaces: technical details, legal and economic background, people’s attitude towards them, system control, staff qualification.

The questions were mostly answered by chief of the office of BPD. Since some of the questions remained unanswered HCLU gone to court in order to access those public interest data.
The trial took place at the Court of the Capitol. According to the court of appeal’s verdict BPD has to make the following requested public interest data public:

- CCTV systems’ operational figures
- the system-related efficiency study
- camera location map
- system-related contracts and agreements with local governments
- signs indicating camera location
- system enlargement plans

The Court of the Capitol found the denial of system-related measures, instructions and various regulations grounded.

The defendant has to make the above mentioned data available in 15 days.

 

Share

Related articles

Profit-making through FOI?

A draft bill on the re-use of public sector information submitted to the Hungarian Parliament by the government would make the national FOI legislation highly unpredictable - according to the HCLU and K-Monitor, major Hungarian NGOs working for transparency and freedom of information. The proposal intends to harmonize Hungarian freedom of information legislation with the EU law by implementing the 2003/98/EC Directive on the re-use of public sector information. The latter is to be revised soon, due to a proposal of the European Commission. The HCLU and K-Monitor ask legislative authorities to withdraw their draft proposal due to the following reasons.

Read more »

Hungarian NGOs turn to Barroso over planned removal of Hungarian data protection commissioner

Eötvös Károly Policy Institute, Hungarian Civil Liberties Union and Hungarian Helsinki Committee informed the President of the European Commission on the failure of the Hungarian lawmaker to fulfill its obligation to guarantee the complete independence of the Data Protection Commissioner. Hungary therefore breached its duty arising from EU law.

Read more »

Government agrees to back mega-project in Hungary despite concerns about transparency - Anti-corruption NGOs have turned to Joaquín Almunia

Some of Hungary's major anti-corruption NGOs have turned to EU Competition Commissioner Joaquín Almunia. The NGOs are concerned about a giant project financed with state aid and therefore urged the Prime Minister to immediately suspend the 'murky' 130 mn EUR investment, financed by an EU fund and the Hungarian Development Bank (MFB). Gordon Bajnai, Prime Minister of Hungary finally ordered the Ministry of National Development and Economy to make the feasibility study of the project public.

Read more »