Government says no
Minister Karl Eirik Schjøtt-Pedersen responded to the July 22 Commission's request.
The July 22 Commission’s request for a special law as an exemption from the Freedom of Information Act was called into question by the government, Minister Karl Eirik Schjøtt-Pedersen revealed.
“When the July 22 Commission was appointed, we considered carefully the question of the public. We wuld like to have a generally high degree of transparency, especially in this case, which is of great public interest and importance. Therefore, we are skeptical of a statutory exemption from the Freedom of Information Act,” says Schjøtt-Pedersen.
The Government will over the next few days have informal discussions with the parties in Parliament about this.
“We emphasize close contact with the Parliament; it has always been this way. Unless the parties have a strong desire for such a law, we want to keep to the Freedom Act’s general provisions,” says Schjøtt-Pedersen.
The July 22 Commission previously asked the Ministry of Justice for an exemption from the Freedom of Information Act to protect those who will provide information to the reports.
In a letter to the Ministry of Justice October 18, the director of the July 22 Commission, Alexandra Bech Gjørv, asked for a special law so that the Commission be given the opportunity to protect public relation with victims and survivors of the July 22 attacks better.
“Through discussions, including with representatives of those directly affected and survivors, we see that the current rules on disclosure could lead many to refuse to provide the Commission with information that is essential for us to solve the problems we have been mandated,” said Gjørv.
The July 22 Commission’s request for exemption from public disclosure through a special law is supported by the national support group.
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