<p>波多黎各圣胡安（美联社）——波多黎各州长珍妮弗·冈萨雷斯于周日签署了一项有争议的法案，批评者称这对民主构成打击，并将使在这个长期以政府透明度不足而闻名的美国领土上获取公共信息变得更加困难。</p>
<p>冈萨雷斯表示，该法案修订了现有法律，以提供更明确的规则，避免混淆，并减少她所称的 “相当数量的诉讼”。她还表示，该法案对不合规行为设定了处罚。</p>
<p>十多个新闻组织和民权团体拒绝了该法案，指出仅在短时间内举行了一天的公开听证会。</p>
<p>“波多黎各的领导人竟然会不遗余力地损害其选民获取信息的权利，并降低岛上新闻自由的质量，这是不可想象的，” 无国界记者组织北美执行董事克莱顿·韦默斯说。</p>
<p>根据新法，政府机构现在有 20 个工作日而不是 10 个工作日来交付少于 300 页或创建时间不超过三年的文件。</p>
<p>对于超过 300 页或超过三年历史的文件，机构现在有最多一个月的时间来发布，并可延长 20 天。</p>
<p>“尽管广泛反对，州长仍签署该法案，明确表明她对政府透明度的兴趣不大，” 波多黎各美国公民自由联盟表示。“（该法案）并不符合任何人的最佳利益，除了那些希望阻碍或防止公众获取他们有权看到的信息的公职人员。”</p>
<p>本月早些时候，一 coalition of journalism organizations and civil society groups 向州长发出了一封信，要求她否决该法案，称其为 “对公众知情权的危险侵犯”。</p>
<p>信中指出，该法案不仅将政府机构发布请求信息的时间加倍，还将 “允许政府在没有司法审查的情况下将信息归类为机密，并消除对请求信息者的个人隐私保护。”</p>
<p>该法案还取消了 “政府在 2019 年法律下提供请求格式信息的先前义务，使数据分析变得更加困难……（并且）还将允许政府因信息分散在多个文件或机构中而拒绝有效请求，” 信中指出。</p>
<p>在波多黎各获取公共信息长期以来一直很困难，常常迫使当地媒体组织在能够承担的情况下诉诸法院，尽管政府在 2019 年批准了一项法律以允许获取州机构持有的公共信息。</p>
<p>2019 年法律指出，在波多黎各，“公民和媒体在请求公共信息时，面临昂贵且可能需要数月的自由裁量权法院程序。尽管获取信息的权利在宪法中得到保障，但缺乏执行的程序机制导致频繁的侵犯。”</p>
<p>2019 年法律还指出，“许多政府承诺透明，但从未真正致力于此。这是导致公众对政府信任度下降的因素之一，政府在决策中已变得复杂、官僚和不透明。”</p>
<p>几年前，一家当地报纸习惯性地发布其公共信息请求及自州机构未收到回应的时间。</p>
<p>波多黎各参议院在十月中旬以 18 票赞成、9 票反对通过了该法案，且没有举行公开听证会。众议院在 11 月仅经过一天的听证会后以 29 票赞成、24 票反对通过了该法案。</p>

<p>波多黎各州长珍妮弗·冈萨雷斯签署了一项有争议的法案，批评者认为该法案限制了公众获取信息的权利，削弱了民主和新闻自由。该法案延长了政府机构发布文件的时间，并允许在没有司法审查的情况下将信息归类为机密。新闻和公民权利团体反对该法案，称其对透明度和公众信任构成威胁。尽管广泛反对，该法案仍在有限的公众听证会上通过</p>

<p>SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico Gov. Jenniffer González signed a polemic bill on Sunday that critics say is a blow to democracy and will make it more difficult to access public information in a U.S. territory long known for its lack of government transparency.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>波多黎各圣胡安（美联社）——波多黎各州长珍妮弗·冈萨雷斯于周日签署了一项有争议的法案，批评者称这对民主构成打击，并将使在这个长期以政府透明度不足而闻名的美国领土上获取公共信息变得更加困难。</p>
</div><p>González said the bill amends an existing law to provide more defined rules, avoid confusion and reduce what she said was a “considerable number of lawsuits.” She said it also sets penalties for non-compliance</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>冈萨雷斯表示，该法案修订了现有法律，以提供更明确的规则，避免混淆，并减少她所称的 “相当数量的诉讼”。她还表示，该法案对不合规行为设定了处罚。</p>
</div><p>More than a dozen journalism organizations and civil rights groups have rejected the bill, noting that only one day of public hearings was held on short notice.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>十多个新闻组织和民权团体拒绝了该法案，指出仅在短时间内举行了一天的公开听证会。</p>
</div><p>“It is inconceivable that Puerto Rico’s leaders would go out of their way to harm their constituents’ access to information and degrade the quality of press freedom on the island,” said Clayton Weimers, executive director for Reporters Without Borders in North America.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>“波多黎各的领导人竟然会不遗余力地损害其选民获取信息的权利，并降低岛上新闻自由的质量，这是不可想象的，” 无国界记者组织北美执行董事克莱顿·韦默斯说。</p>
</div><p>With the new law, government agencies now have 20 business days instead of 10 to hand over documents with fewer than 300 pages or that were created less than three years ago.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>根据新法，政府机构现在有 20 个工作日而不是 10 个工作日来交付少于 300 页或创建时间不超过三年的文件。</p>
</div><p>Agencies also now have up to one month to release documents longer than 300 pages or more than three years old, with a 20-day extension upheld.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>对于超过 300 页或超过三年历史的文件，机构现在有最多一个月的时间来发布，并可延长 20 天。</p>
</div><p>“By signing this measure into law, despite widespread opposition, the governor makes it clear that her interest is not in government transparency,” the ACLU of Puerto Rico said. “(The law) is not in anyone’s best interest, except for any public official who seeks to hinder or prevent the public from receiving the information they have a right to see.”</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>“尽管广泛反对，州长仍签署该法案，明确表明她对政府透明度的兴趣不大，” 波多黎各美国公民自由联盟表示。“（该法案）并不符合任何人的最佳利益，除了那些希望阻碍或防止公众获取他们有权看到的信息的公职人员。”</p>
</div><p>Earlier this month, a coalition of journalism organizations and civil society groups sent a letter to the governor asking that she veto the bill, calling it a “dangerous infringement on the public’s right to know.”</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>本月早些时候，一 coalition of journalism organizations and civil society groups 向州长发出了一封信，要求她否决该法案，称其为 “对公众知情权的危险侵犯”。</p>
</div><p>The letter noted the bill not only doubles the length of time government agencies have to release requested information, it would also “allow the government to classify information as confidential without judicial review and eliminate personal privacy protections for those requesting information.”</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>信中指出，该法案不仅将政府机构发布请求信息的时间加倍，还将 “允许政府在没有司法审查的情况下将信息归类为机密，并消除对请求信息者的个人隐私保护。”</p>
</div><p>The bill also removes “the government’s previous obligation under the 2019 law to provide information in the requested format, making data analysis more difficult …(and) would also allow the government to deny valid requests because the information is spread across several documents or agencies,” according to the letter.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>该法案还取消了 “政府在 2019 年法律下提供请求格式信息的先前义务，使数据分析变得更加困难……（并且）还将允许政府因信息分散在多个文件或机构中而拒绝有效请求，” 信中指出。</p>
</div><p>Obtaining public information in Puerto Rico has long been difficult, often forcing local media organizations that could afford it to go to court despite the government approving a law in 2019 to allow access to public information held by state agencies.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>在波多黎各获取公共信息长期以来一直很困难，常常迫使当地媒体组织在能够承担的情况下诉诸法院，尽管政府在 2019 年批准了一项法律以允许获取州机构持有的公共信息。</p>
</div><p>The 2019 law noted that in Puerto Rico, “citizens and the press are subject to discretionary court processes that are costly and can take months when they request public information. Although the right to access information is enshrined in the Constitution, the lack of a procedural mechanism to enforce it leads to frequent violations.”</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>2019 年法律指出，在波多黎各，“公民和媒体在请求公共信息时，面临昂贵且可能需要数月的自由裁量权法院程序。尽管获取信息的权利在宪法中得到保障，但缺乏执行的程序机制导致频繁的侵犯。”</p>
</div><p>The 2019 law also stated that “many governments have promised transparency but have never committed to it. This is one of the factors that has contributed to the erosion of public trust in the government, which has become a complex, bureaucratic, and opaque structure in its decision-making.”</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>2019 年法律还指出，“许多政府承诺透明，但从未真正致力于此。这是导致公众对政府信任度下降的因素之一，政府在决策中已变得复杂、官僚和不透明。”</p>
</div><p>Several years ago, one local newspaper made it a habit to publish its requests for public information and how much time had passed without receiving a response from state agencies.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>几年前，一家当地报纸习惯性地发布其公共信息请求及自州机构未收到回应的时间。</p>
</div><p>Puerto Rico’s Senate approved the bill in mid-October with 18 votes in favor and nine against, with no public hearings held. The House passed it in November after only one day of hearings, with 29 votes in favor and 24 against.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>波多黎各参议院在十月中旬以 18 票赞成、9 票反对通过了该法案，且没有举行公开听证会。众议院在 11 月仅经过一天的听证会后以 29 票赞成、24 票反对通过了该法案。</p>
</div>

波多黎各州长签署了一项法案，批评者认为这将限制公众获取信息的渠道