Right to Information and Bhutan

Chhoeing's project in Current Legal Issues was to educate the JSW School of Law Campus on Bhutan's need for a Right to Information Act. The right to information is critical for a democracy. Journalists depend on access to government information to expose corruption and policy errors. Attorneys also depend on access to information to represent clients in some cases. Bhutan has no such right to access. 
​"Free Press and Right to Information in Democratic Bhutan" presented the community with arguments in favor of a Right to Information Act. At first Chhoeing had planned to go on the radio to discuss this issue. Unfortunately, she did not have the freedom to do so. In the alternative, she asked Mr. Needrup Zangpo, chair of the Media Council of Bhutan, to come and speak on the topic. He is also the executive director of the Bhutan Media Foundation. As you can see from the Freedom House map below, Bhutan is only "partly free." Passing the Right to Information Act would help Bhutan make a case for moving into the "free" category for Bhutan.