Several reports have been released concerning our lawsuit on disclosure of data of public interest.
It seems the fight came to its end. The Supreme Court delivered its ruling. A motion submitted by a member of an authority (Parliament) to another authority (Constitutional Court) is deemed to be personal data.
On Sepetember 28th, International Freedom of Information Day is celebrated in 40 countries worldwide. This year, it is celebrated in Hungary for the first time, organized by the HCLU during the Week of Civil Awareness.
The Court of Appeals sent the case back to the Metropolitan Court because the court of first instance was wrong in defining the expert opinions regarding the re-start of the Paks Nuclear Power Plant’s 2nd block were not public data. The Court of Appeals ruled that indeed they were public data, but it was possible that they were to be considered as trade secrets or fell under copyright laws. This however needed to be decided by the court of first instance in a re-trial.
The Hungarian Civil Liberties Union won a freedom of information case against the Republic of Hungary. For the first time, the right to access to state-held information as part of Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights has been formally recognized, as reflected in today’s ruling by the European Court of Human Rights. The Strasbourg based Court declared that withholding information needed to participate in public debate on matters of public importance may violate the freedom of expression.