LESOTHO TRANSPARENCY ASSESSMENT REPORT INTRODUCTION Access to information in Lesotho remains a hard-fought battle by free expression activists and media freedom fighters. MISA Lesotho dedicates most of its advocacy work towards ensuring a viable working environment for media practitioners as far as access to information is concerned. This is against a background of archaic laws and legal instruments detrimental to the enjoyment of this right by the media, as well as the general public. The country is a signatory to a number of regional and international treaties and conventions, such as the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights, and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. However, very little has been done to domesticate these agreements into the local legal framework. Some existing laws still impede free access to information. A number of government organisations also hamper access to information by labelling certain information and government documents as ‘confidential’ or ‘secret’. In an effort to realise a viable platform for unhindered access to information, MISA Lesotho advocated for an access to information law which culminated in the Access and Receipt of Information Bill of 2000. However, 20 years later, the bill is yet to be enacted into law by parliament. This is in spite of a drastic political change after the 2012 elections, that saw the country move from a single-party state to a multi-party coalition government. To date, the country has made strides towards improving the overall legal situation through national reforms. The national reforms programme is a multifaceted and multi-stakeholder initiative to overhaul the country’s legal framework, spanning constitutional, parliamentary, security, public service sector, judicial, economic and media reforms. The initial stage of the reforms agenda, which is dialogue, was completed in December 2019. During this stage, shortfalls in the current system were identified and suggestions were made on how they should be addressed. 2 RATIONALE AND RESEARCH PARAMETERS AIM OF THE STUDY The aim of this study was to assess the state of access to information in Lesotho. Specifically it sought to examine the level of openness and ability to provide requested information by government/public organisations. Ten organisations were surveyed between 22 June–15 July 2020. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY y To determine which organisations (both government and public) provide information to citizens upon request, timeously and with relative ease. y To determine which organisations (both government and public) utilise online platforms to promote access to information. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The research adopts both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection, and seeks to evaluate the level of public access to information held by government and public organisations. Each MISA Chapter conducts research by evaluating the websites of government and public organisations along with submitting written requests for information. This method seeks to establish the transparency and efficiency of government and public organisations in providing information to the public. LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY y Most public organisations have, for decades, treated public information as though it is a right to be enjoyed by only a few elites and not the general public. y This research was undertaken during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many public organisations were reporting positive cases amongst staff members or their families. This caused service disruption as these organisations were forced to close their offices in order to test staff and disinfect their establishments against COVID-19.