A new legal practice is being introduced into the work of the Parliament

The Legislative Chamber of Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan has put forward an initiative for introduction of legal experiment – a new method for the national legal practice. The MPs initiative was supported by the head of state, and the President signed a decree which determines order and conditions of the legal experiment on the approbation of the draft Law on Openness of Activity of Public Authorities and Administration. The Legislative Chamber of Oliy Majlis conducted an organizational meeting of the working committee for its conduct.

Members of the working committee of the number of deputies in the Lower House of Parliament, senior officials of the governmental organs and administration, the Hokimiyats of Bukhoro and Samarqand regions, representatives of the media and civil society – discussed issues of organizational support for legal experiment, which would be held later this year in Bukhoro and Samarqand regions.

To recall, the initiative for the development and adoption of the law on openness of public authorities and administration was proposed in the Concept of further deepening democratic reforms and formation of civil society in the country. The new law defines the procedures for informing the public about the activities of public authorities, provides for better access, public associations to information about decisions, especially those that affect the rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of citizens. Legal experiment will test the effectiveness in practice of the provisions of the bill.

To explain: the essence of the experiment is that the bill will be tested within real activities of the public authorities and administration of particular provinces, districts and towns. Its members, in addition to governmental agencies of Bukhara and Samarkand regions are also the media, civil society, individuals and legal entities interested in receiving information about their activities. Such a method of guaranteeing the freedom of expression and information is used for the first time and, according to the participants of the meeting, will enhance the implementation of the constitutional rights of citizens in the field of information.

The experiment will also test various mechanisms of self-regulation of professional activity of journalists in order to improve its quality and effectiveness.

“We, as representatives of NGO in information sphere are very interested in that, during the rule of the experiment have been worked out, and subsequently were widely reflected in the law of the appropriate mechanisms to ensure the media and civil society’s access to information,” Chairman of the Union of Journalists Sherzod Guliamov said in his interview. “It is important that the provisions of the draft law and the regulations of the legal right to determine the responsibilities of the experiment onto the actual heads of public authorities and administration to actively participate in the processes of public information.

This will create the conditions for their close relationships with the media and will be a basis for filling the national information space with relevant and reliable information.” Indeed, in accordance with the rules of conducting the legal experiment, obligations of public authorities and administration to ensure the openness of their activity are also strictly regulated. It is established that the request of individuals and entities subject to review within a period not more than fifteen days from the date of its registration. A media inquiry on the activities of the subjects of the experiment, organizing interviews with officials considered within a period not exceeding seven days. In this case, requests for information can be made either in writing, including electronic and oral.

Measures aimed at complex implementation of tasks on the bill approbation are identified. A specialized website will be created, where everyone can see the progress of the approbation of the bill, to participate in the discussion of its provisions, and the members of the media - to get an update with literature on the subjects of legal experiment. (Source: Uzbekistan Today newspaper).