76 1. The right of access to information shall be guaranteed by law in accordance with the following principles: a. Every person has the right to access information held by public bodies and relevant private bodies expeditiously and inexpensively. b. Every person has the right to access information of private bodies that may assist in the exercise or protection of any right expeditiously and inexpensively. 2. For the purpose of this part, a relevant private body is a body that would otherwise be a private body but is owned partially or totally, or is controlled or financed directly or indirectly by public funds, or a body that carries out a statutory or public function or a statutory or public service. Principle 27. Primacy Access to information laws shall take precedence over any other laws that prohibit or restrict the disclosure of information. Principle 28. Maximum disclosure 1. Access to information shall be granted as expeditiously and inexpensively as possible, and in accessible formats and technologies. 2. No one shall be required to demonstrate a specific legal or personal interest in the information requested or to provide justification for a request. 3. Every person shall be assisted in making requests for information orally or in writing and in conformity with processing requirements. Appropriate support shall be provided to nonliterate persons and persons with disabilities to make requests for information on an equal basis with others. 4. No fees shall be payable other than the reasonable reproduction cost of requested information. The cost of reproduction shall be waived where the requester is indigent. 5. Any refusal to disclose information shall be provided timeously and in writing, and it shall be well-reasoned and premised on international law and standards. Principle 32. Appeals The right of access to information shall be guided by the principle of maximum disclosure. Access to information may only be limited by narrowly defined exemptions, which shall be provided by law and shall comply strictly with international human rights law and standards. Principle 29. Proactive disclosure Any refusal to disclose information shall be subject to an expeditious internal appeal process at no cost to the applicant. The right of further appeal against the outcome of an internal appeal process shall lie to the oversight mechanism and, ultimately, the courts. Principle 33. Exemptions 1. Public bodies and relevant private bodies shall be required, even in the absence of a specific request, to proactively publish information of public interest, including information about their functions, powers, structure, officials, decisions, budgets, expenditure and other information relating to their activities. 2. Proactive disclosure by relevant private bodies shall apply to activities for which public funds are utilised or public functions or services are performed. 3. Information required to be proactively disclosed shall be disseminated through all available mediums, including digital technologies. In particular, States shall proactively publish information in accordance with internationally accepted open data principles. Principle 30. Duty to create, organise and maintain information information keep, Public bodies, relevant private bodies and private bodies shall create, keep, organise and maintain information in a manner that facilitates the exercise of the right of access to information. Principle 31. Procedure for accessing 1. Information may only be legitimately withheld where the harm to the interest protected under the relevant exemption demonstrably outweighs the public interest in disclosure of the information. Such information may only be withheld for the period that the harm could occur. 2. Where a portion of a document containing requested information is exempted from disclosure, the exempted portion shall be severed or redacted and access granted to the remainder of the document that is not exempted from disclosure. 3. Laws governing classification of information shall stipulate the maximum period of the classification and restrict classification only to the extent necessary, never indefinitely. 4. Information may only be legitimately withheld as an exemption if its release would: a. result in the unreasonable disclosure of the personal information of a third party; b. cause substantial prejudice to a legitimate commercial or financial interest of relevant stakeholders or other third party; c. endanger the life, health or safety of an individual; d. cause substantial prejudice to the national