Journalist wins case against cabinet for refused acccess to information

See other news:

Back to HR News main page

A five-member panel of the Supreme Administrative Court ruled against the Council of Ministers yesterday for turning down the request of the Kapital journalist Alexei Lazarov for access to cabinet session minutes.

The journalist from the mainstream weekly had lodged an official request to receive the minutes from the first cabinet session on 26 July 2001. This right is guaranteed by the Access to Public Information Act; the legally prescribed term for answering such requests is 14 days. His request was turned down with the motive that this was off-the-record information connected with the work of the cabinet.

Lazarov appealed the rejection, but was turned down by a three-member panel of the Supreme Administrative Court. Yesterday the five-member panel of the court ruled in his favour stating that the Council of Ministers should re-consider his request. The decision is not subject to appeal. top