JW VERDICT: Do other countries around the world have a FOIA-like clause, or is America unique?
FARRELL: Some do. England just enacted their own FOIA law which is remarkably like ours and they did so in January. Canada does. Germany does. So there are a few other modern, western democracies or republics that, in one form or another, have an open records law of some type. For the most part, however, the rest of the world does not. We had a group from French-speaking African countries visit Judicial Watch headquarters recently, and when we told them what Judicial Watch does, one gentleman laughed and said that if he did what we did in his country, he would be killed. Unfortunately, that was not the first time I had heard that sentiment expressed.
