From Iceland — Board Rules Police Must Disclose Protest Report

Board Rules Police Must Disclose Protest Report

Published October 20, 2014

Disclosure has been sought since early 2012

Haukur Már Helgason
Photo by
Joe Ritter

Disclosure has been sought since early 2012

Police must disclose a report on its organization during political demonstrations from 2008 to 2011, according to a ruling by the Information access complaint board.

The report’s title is, aptly: “Summary of police organization at protests from 2008 to 2011”. Activist and author Eva Hauksdóttir has sought access to the report since 2012. She first applied to the Chief of Police, who refused the request. She then filed a complaint to the Information access complaint board, established through the 2012 Information act. The board ordered the Chief of Police to reconsider the request. He did and declined the request again, in January 2013. Eva appealed that decision, again, to the same complaint board. In July 2013 it ruled in favor off the Police chief’s decision, albeit demanding access to select, seemingly peripheral, chapters of the report, about criticism and attitudes in the media.

Again, Eva filed a complaint, this time to Alþingi’s ombudsman. The Information access complaint board notified the ombudsman that it was prepared to reconsider its decision if requested. It is this chapter of the journey which was concluded by the board’s most recent ruling, demanding the Capital Area Chief of Police to disclose the report in whole, with admissions only made for names of individuals and officers.

The ruling was made on October 8, but went unreported until today.

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