Ethiopia's Parliament received a draft Freedom of Information Proclamation this week, marking the first attempt at comprehensive transparency legislation in a country where public data access remains limited.
The bill was tabled to lawmakers on Thursday, but opposition members immediately raised concerns about broad exemptions that would bar citizens and media from accessing information related to government activities against insurgents and enemies of the state.
Desalegn Chane (PhD), a member of the National Movement of Amhara (NAMA), criticized the legislation's vague language during parliamentary proceedings.
"I don't believe Article 18 of the draft, which stipulates activities related to enemies and insurgents, national defence, or security and safety information, is properly defined," said the opposition MP, calling for clearer definitions to protect public access rights.
The proposed legislation would prohibit access to cabinet documents, internal operations and deliberations of public bodies, commercial activity of public bodies, economic and financial information, defense and security data, international relations information, and information tied to third parties.
Public offices would gain the right to decline any information requests related to activities conducted to monitor and control enemies or insurgents under the draft. This includes information about armaments and weaponry, methods of collecting security-related information, confidential informants, and intelligence operations.
Chane warned that unclear definitions could enable abuse of the exemptions.
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"Unless these terms are clearly stated, they could be misused to cover misconduct within defence, intelligence, police, and security institutions. The bill must define what specific damage could result if certain information is released from security and defence institutions," he said.
The draft establishes a system requiring public offices and private organizations to designate information officers to handle access requests. These officers would process requests that do not fall under the legislation's exemptions.
"Any official, employee, or expert of a public body or private organization shall have the duty to cooperate with the information officer in the performance of their duties or functions," the draft states.
Information officers would have authority to classify information for 15 years or more in some cases, according to the proposed legislation. Government institutions would be obligated to respond to information requests unless they fall under one of the exemptions outlined in the bill.
The draft has been referred to the Democratic Affairs Standing Committee for further review and scrutiny.
Ethiopia has struggled with limited public data access and press freedom challenges, particularly during ongoing security operations in various regions. The introduction of freedom of information legislation comes as the country prepares for national elections in June, amid continued debates over transparency and accountability in government operations. International freedom of information standards typically include national security exemptions, but advocates emphasize the importance of narrow definitions to prevent overuse of such provisions.
