In recent weeks, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has raised the possibility of dissolving the autonomous National Institute of Transparency, Information Access and Protection of Personal Data (INAI), which ensures access to public information in the country.
He has said that other bodies could absorb its work and that timely responses to public records requests could be ensured through other means.
“What we are arguing is that autonomy is fundamental,” said Carlos Dorantes of the free speech and information access advocacy group Articulo 19.
The group is also worried about the prospect of the government being a judge and party to disputes about which documents or information to release.
