Rivne journalists turn to ECHR

The Rivne Agency of Journalist Investigations, with help of lawyers of the Institute for Regional Press Development (IRPD), prepares to bring a suit against a refusal to provide information to the European Court for Human Rights. The lawsuit is connected with concealing information about the budget funds, which are allocated on maintenance of each official in the Rivne Oblast, and was recently rejected by the Higher Administrative Court of Ukraine, according to the IRPD website.

The Ukrainian legislation prohibits hide data about how much taxpayers spend on maintenance (salaries, allowances, bonuses, tangible benefits, etc.) of each official. Often officials refuse to give this information - they say it contains personal data. However, Article 6 of the Law of Ukraine "On Access to Public Information" stipulates cases where common law restrictions on personal data protection cannot be applies.