Yerevan /Mediamax/. Center for Freedom of Information will launch an evaluation index for the freedom of publicity and information of state administration and local self-government bodies.

Center’s expert Liana Doydoyan stated it today.

“The new evaluation index is aimed at the transparency and publicity assessment of state administration and local self-government bodies. The annual index will be based on over 50 parameters”, the expert clarified adding that the main goal of the index is to find out if the organs controlling information, properly fulfill their duty of providing information to the society or not.

Shushan Doydoyan noted that as compared to 2011, the number of incomplete feedback to information requests grew 10-fold, the number of unjustified refusals - 4-fold and ungrounded answers- 2-fold as of 2013.

“Previously, the officials used to avoid providing information which would cast shadow on the structures they headed and simply didn't respond to the request on providing relevant information, while now  instead of leaving the disputable question without an answer, the officials prefer to give an incomplete and evasive response, which in fact is not an answer”, Doydoyan stated.

The evaluation index for the freedom of publicity and information and the electronic system were worked out within the “Innovations of Systems Development” project funded by the Counterpart International Inc. Armenian Representation.