A TWIRL IN RECOGNITION OF THE RIGHT TO ACCESS LEGAL INFORMATION REGIME IN TANZANIA

Abstract

This article explores the role of the global movement for access to legal information and how the same has influenced Tanzania to participate in world campaigns on access to legal information. It focuses on the contributions of the Free Access to Law Movement (FALM), the World Legal Information Institutes (WorldLIIs), and the Montreal Declaration on Free Access to Law (MDFAL) of 2002 on access to the legal information in Tanzania. It is argued that until 2003 Tanzania was far behind in recognizing legal information as a distinct right that flows from human rights norms of freedom of expression and opinion. However, after joining the global movement on access to legal information Tanzania has taken various strategies including enacting the Access to Information Act of 2016. Of late, Tanzania has formed the Tanzania Legal Information Institute (TANZLII) for the purpose of facilitating the realization of the right to access legal information.