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Access to Information Law Passed in Kaliningrad Region

On June 27, 2002, the Access to Information Law for the Kaliningrad region was enacted. The project to draft this regional law was launched by Transparency International Russia in September 2001.

Undeterred by multiple obstacles, Boris Demidov-an alumni of the FSA Contemporary Issues Fellowship program (CI) and general manager of Transparency International Russia-and civil society activists from other Russian NGOs managed to get the law passed that the Russian Duma has been ineffectively trying to introduce for the past decade.

"The first regional Access to Information Law has finally become a reality in Russia. Now it's up to the Russian federal government to follow the trend," said Demidov, hailing the advent of the new freedom of information legislation in the Kaliningrad region.

Intended to better assure the public's right to obtain non-classified information, the long-awaited law now needs to be promoted, implemented, and enforced. Although it remains to be seen how efficient the new legislation will be, it is a noteworthy step toward curbing corruption and increasing transparency among public officials.

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