The Constitutional Court has taken issue with the parliamentary intelligence committee’s practice of convening behind closed doors, saying it breaches the public’s right to know and is thus unconstitutional.
Seven of the nine justices on the court ruled on Thursday against the National Assembly law, which stipulates the Assembly’s Intelligence Committee be kept secret to the public, immediately rendering the law ineffective.
The court said the parliamentary law goes against the constitutional principle of unveiling parliamentary deliberations and effectively makes it impossible for the public to monitor the intelligence committee’s activities and keep it in check.
Although Article 50 of the constitution allows discussions at certain parliamentary gatherings to be undisclosed when necessary for reasons of national security, it does not mean every committee meeting should be a closed-door session, the court said.
The ruling was made in response to two similar petitions filed by civic groups in 2018 and 2020.