CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation is an international movement of civil society dedicated to strengthening freedom of association and citizen’s participation across the globe. CIVICUS welcomes the invitation by the South African National Council of Provinces to provide inputs on the Protection of State Information Bill 2011 (hereafter the “bill”.)
We recognise that the present version of the bill has been amended to accommodate some public and civil society concerns. Nevertheless, we are of the opinion that the bill falls substantially short of the freedom of expression and information standards contained in the South African Constitution and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).