Campaigning for the public’s
RIGHT TO KNOW

Bureaucrats who deny citizens access to information about the workings of their government foster government corruption. Open government, in which the public are kept fully informed about official decision-making, is essential to the proper functioning of democracy.

Open government is the lifeblood of democracy. Knowing what government is doing should be valued as a paramount right for any individual in any free society. History is scarred with the abuses that have occurred in the absence of the public’s ability to scrutinise the conduct of government and enlightened nations have come to realise that an informed citizenry is necessary for any democratic government to function properly. Thus, Article 21 of the Universal Declaration confers the right to take part in the government of one’s country and declares that the basis of that government is the will of the people.

One of the principal tools to accomplish open and honest government is a freedom of information (FOI) law. In countries with such provisions, citizens have the right to access their government’s records. These laws typically ensure that records must be released to the requester unless shielded from disclosure by some narrowly defined exception to the law, such as national security or privacy.

Given the extensive information exchange between different authorities of the European Union member states, freedom of information is an essential tool serving the public’s right to know what government knows and whether official agencies maintain proper files or false and derogatory information about the governed.

The Church of Scientology has often experienced that false or misleading information held in inaccessible government files will cause agencies to make wrong or unfair decisions and has been a tireless champion of freedom of information. When FOI legislation was passed in France, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Belgium and Germany, members of the Church played an important role in bringing those laws about. The Church has been a tireless advocate of this law in the United States. Not only have the many successful legal challenges by the Church created a body of jurisprudence that established it as a leader in bringing about transparent government, it also made sure that the people realised they had this right and should use it to participate in the democratic process.

In Europe, Scientologists assisted passage of a law in France providing individuals greater access to the French intelligence police files. In 2002, the Church used the French Freedom of Information law to uncover and publish documents that revealed how a now defunct French interministerial body had abused taxpayer funds by bankrolling expensive junkets to exotic lands, taking unauthorised actions outside its jurisdiction, and practicing blatant discrimination against religious minorities. Most recently, the Church of Scientology in France achieved a monumental victory when France’s highest court, the Conseil d’Etat, ruled in August 2003 that vague and unspecific claims of “public security” could no longer be used by the government to bar a French citizen from gaining access to files maintained by the intelligence police.

To encourage widespread knowledge of FOI legislation and help citizens use it effectively, the Church of Scientology has published informative booklets and even educational ads in newspapers— layman’s guides for filing requests and overcoming arbitrary refusals to provide valid information. The Church published its most recent FOI booklet in France in 2003.