Analysis of New Russian Freedom of Information Law

Wow, it's been a while. But don't worry, I haven't been slacking. Since the summer, I've been working with the St. Petersburg-based Institute for Information Freedom Development on an comparative analysis of the new Russian freedom of information law (N 8-FZ from Feb. 9, 2009) and the US FOIA. The paper actually went up on IIFD's website in March, but I've been under water for while, so I'm just getting around to posting here.

A copy of my analysis, in Russian, is available here.

For those of you not inclined to read the full version, here's the nutshell analysis:

The new Russian law is a positive step forward for a lot of reasons. It offers most of the same protections as the FOIA, and even goes further by ensuring that internet kiosks are set up in various government ministries and buildings (libraries, etc.) to enable people to get online and see important info. The catalog of information available on ministry websites is impressive, including information on past investigations.

In other respects, however, the Russian law lags behind the FOIA (notwithstanding the American law's own problems). Many of the Russian law's provisions are broadly drafted, which leaves a lot to the interpretation of ministries and courts. In general, I was troubled by the possibility that Russian government officials, who are not known for their spontaneous fits of information-distribution, were given so much leeway. The law is a strong step forward, but still has a ways to go.