Shamsul Bari
The writer is the Chairman of Research Initiatives, Bangladesh (RIB) and a former Director of UNHCR.
The writer is the Chairman of Research Initiatives, Bangladesh (RIB) and a former Director of UNHCR.
The eruption of hostility surrounding the submission of a simple RTI request to a public official was uncalled for
Clearly, most citizens are unaware of the tremendous bounties the RTI Act has to offer
The RTI law has been kept alive over the years largely through the efforts of a few dedicated NGOs and die-hard RTI activists.
As governments become more adept at manipulating democratic institutions to advance their own goals, mechanisms have evolved to curb such tendencies, such as “right to information” or “freedom of information” laws.
In the last few months, we have received some very encouraging feedback from users of the RTI law about the Information Commission's work.
Bangladesh’s High Court has asked the authorities of a public university to allow pregnant and married female students to remain in the dormitories for the time being
Through the RTI Commission of Sri Lanka, citizens could weight in on matters impacting the nation.
The experiences of Sri Lanka and Pakistan are lessons for everyone concerned with promoting the right to information.
As authoritarianism creeps in across the world, the ideals of participatory democracy and representative governance have taken a back seat once again in many countries.
Today, we turn away from the positive and encouraging side of the Right to Information movement in Bangladesh, depicted in our previous column (The Daily Star, April 16, 2022), to peer into the shadows.
Today, we present tales that have been gathered from ordinary Bangladeshis.
The Information Commission of Bangladesh delivered a much-awaited decision on March 8, 2022, and a much-needed shot in the arm of the right to information (RTI) regime in Bangladesh.
The title of our column today is inspired by an editorial in Prothom Alo, a popular Bangla national daily in Bangladesh, published on February 5, 2022.
Efforts to limit the ruler’s authority over the ruled is as old as human history. It is a subject that has occupied the minds of social thinkers and philosophers of all major civilisations since ancient times.
The importance of a robust Right to Information (RTI) regime for a healthy and vibrant democracy is universally recognised.
The Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2009 is made of interlocking parts.
Last month marked the International Right to Know Day. From the few seminars and webinars arranged on the occasion, it was evident that even 12 years after the Right to Information (RTI) Act was enacted in Bangladesh, we are still largely preoccupied with how to spread awareness about the law.
he International Right to Know Day will be commemorated on September 28. By adopting Right to Information (RTI) or Freedom of Information (FOI) laws, governments recognise their citizens’ power to demand transparency and accountability about their work. Bangladesh enacted the Right to Information Act in 2009. How did that law fare last year?