| Qatar: Integrity Scorecard Report > Sub-Category: Public Access to Information | ||
| Indicators | Score | |
| 12 | Do citizens have a legal right of access to information? | 0 |
| 13 | Is the right of access to information effective? | 0 |
Indicator and sub-Indicator Details
| 12 | Do citizens have a legal right of access to information? | |||||||
| 12a: In law, citizens have a right of access to government information and basic government records. | ||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Comments: There is no formal right to access government documents. References: There is no formal right to access government documents.
|
||||||||
| 12b: In law, citizens have a right of appeal if access to a basic government record is denied. | ||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Comments: References: There is no such formal process.
|
||||||||
| 12c: In law, there is an established institutional mechanism through which citizens can request government records. | ||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Comments: The Supreme Council of Information and Communication Technology (ictQatar) and the government public website (www.gov.qa) provide administrative services and allow citizens to access personal records (drivers license, paying bills, permit or application status, making appointments, etc). This has allowed Qatar to move up in the World Bank's ranking with respect to government readiness. They do not, however, provide a means for requesting government records. References: There is no such formal mechanism or institution.
|
||||||||
| 13 | Is the right of access to information effective? | |||||||
| 13a: In practice, citizens receive responses to access to information requests within a reasonable time period. | ||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Comments: There is no freedom of information in Qatar. References: U.S. State Department Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor - 2009 Qatar Country Report on Human Rights Practices. Published on March 11, 2010. Available at: [ LINK ]. Accessed on April 25, 2010. Interview with Dr. Ahmed Abdul Malik, Qatari Media Expert, Lecturer at Qatar University, and former Editor-in-Chief of Gulf Times and Al-Sharq Newspapers in Qatar. Interview date and location: April 28, 2010 in a public location. Interview with Majed Al-Ansari, Assistant Researcher at the Social and Economic Survey Research Institute at Qatar University. Interview date and location: March 24, 2010 at Qatar University.
|
||||||||
| 13b: In practice, citizens can use the access to information mechanism at a reasonable cost. | ||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Comments: There is no freedom of information in Qatar. References: Interview with Dr. Ahmed Abdul Malik, Qatari Media Expert, Lecturer at Qatar University, and former Editor-in-Chief of Gulf Times and Al-Sharq Newspapers in Qatar. Interview date and location: April 28, 2010 in a public location. Interview with Majed Al-Ansari, Assistant Researcher at the Social and Economic Survey Research Institute at Qatar University. Interview date and location: March 24, 2010 at Qatar University.
|
||||||||
| 13c: In practice, responses to information requests are of high quality. | ||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Comments: There is no freedom of information in Qatar. References: Interview with Dr. Ahmed Abdul Malik, Qatari Media Expert, Lecturer at Qatar University, and former Editor-in-Chief of Gulf Times and Al-Sharq Newspapers in Qatar. Interview date and location: April 28, 2010 in a public location. Interview with Majed Al-Ansari, Assistant Researcher at the Social and Economic Survey Research Institute at Qatar University. Interview date and location: March 24, 2010 at Qatar University.
|
||||||||
| 13d: In practice, citizens can resolve appeals to access to information requests within a reasonable time period. | ||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Comments: There is no such appeals mechanism, as there is no freedom of information in Qatar. References: Interview with Dr. Ahmed Abdul Malik, Qatari Media Expert, Lecturer at Qatar University, and former Editor-in-Chief of Gulf Times and Al-Sharq Newspapers in Qatar. Interview date and location: April 28, 2010 in a public location. Interview with Majed Al-Ansari, Assistant Researcher at the Social and Economic Survey Research Institute at Qatar University. Interview date and location: March 24, 2010 at Qatar University.
|
||||||||
| 13e: In practice, citizens can resolve appeals to information requests at a reasonable cost. | ||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Comments: There is no such appeals mechanism, as there is no freedom of information in Qatar. References: Interview with Dr. Ahmed Abdul Malik, Qatari Media Expert, Lecturer at Qatar University, and former Editor-in-Chief of Gulf Times and Al-Sharq Newspapers in Qatar. Interview date and location: April 28, 2010 in a public location. Interview with Majed Al-Ansari, Assistant Researcher at the Social and Economic Survey Research Institute at Qatar University. Interview date and location: March 24, 2010 at Qatar University.
|
||||||||
| 13f: In practice, the government gives reasons for denying an information request. | ||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Comments: There is no such appeals mechanism, as there is no Freedom of Information in Qatar. References: Interview with Dr. Ahmed Abdul Malik, Qatari Media Expert, Lecturer at Qatar University, and former Editor-in-Chief of Gulf Times and Al-Sharq Newspapers in Qatar. Interview date and location: April 28, 2010 in a public location. Interview with Majed Al-Ansari, Assistant Researcher at the Social and Economic Survey Research Institute at Qatar University. Interview date and location: March 24, 2010 at Qatar University.
|
||||||||
Global Integrity uses a