MONGOLIAN FIRST NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS FORUM 

THE FORUM

 Through LCLRS’s drive and dedication to the principles of Human Rights was the organizing the First Forum of Human Rights NGO’s in Mongolia from May 2 –3, 2002. This daunting task was undertaken by the youngest of all Mongolian NGO leaders was a historic first for Mongolia.

LCLRS was critical that Mongolian Human Rights NGOs are working spread, without real cooperation and lacking strong and common voice towards the implementation of human rights.  Also, at this stage of development history of Mongolia, National Human Rights Program of Action is going to be adopted by the Parliament. In making, adoption and implementation of this action program, advises, proposals, criticisms and cooperation of NGOs is necessary.  It was considered that if we successfully organize the first National forum of NGO’s than, the NGOs will be able to fulfill this important task in this crucial moment of the development of human rights in Mongolia.

  During this forum more than 40 Mongolian based Human Rights NGOs along with other foreign representatives came together in the spirit of mutual cooperation and support. Additionally, all NGOs have agreed to organize joint actions in supporting two cases before the Supreme Court involving numerous human rights violations. During this forum impressive reports and presentations were made by NGO leaders on different human rights violations: political rights, the right to knowledge, personal inviolable rights, economic rights, women’s rights and children’s rights. (TO SEE THE REPORTS  CLICK HERE) Presentations made on the subjects on the ways and mechanisms to successfully protect human rights in Mongolia, such as monitoring by NGO’s and using international human rights mechanisms.

Mrs. Ichinnorov the head of LCLRS was able to inspire and encourage the participants with her wise advice and comments to stay strong for the fight of human rights. Lively discussions were held during these two days moderated by her. Human rights NGO’s expressed their concerns, challenges and problems and thanked the opportunity to express their opinions and being able to freely criticizing the government in many aspects. Many criticized the current government for eliminating the rights of citizens to freely express their opinions, discrimination based on political views and government’s misuse of media.

 Many participants expressed that it was a historical meeting and it was well organized and inspired meeting.  

The result of this forum was many folds:

  • Human Rights Forum was established. Human Rights forum will meet every year on rotating base. Human Rights NGOs have agreed to cooperate together on a permanent basis and that LCSLR will be the central coordinating NGO until the next forum is held.
  • One of the most important contributions being made is the Open-Letter was produced and sent to the Parliament, the President and the Government of Mongolia, which all NGOs voted to support and which was published in the print media.  This was a first time effort of bringing unified voice of Mongolian human rights NGO’s to demand specific action form the government to fulfill in the area of human rights.
  • Working group consisting of lawyers and other human rights advocates taking action on the two human rights cases.
  • Reports and presentations made at the forum will be published and distributed to NGO’s government and international institutions, that will be great resource concerning current situation of human rights and human rights NGO’s in Mongolia.
  • Human rights NGO’s were inspired and encouraged to work further the development of human rights in Mongolia.

 FUTURE PLANS

As democratically discussed altogether and decided at the end of the forum, that the coordinating NGO’s will perform the following tasks:

·        Plan, organize and coordinate the activities of human rights NGOs that are related to advocacy, awareness, education and monitoring:

1.      Human rights trainings for legal professionals, including judges, prosecutors, lawyers and police, in Ulaanbaatar and rural aimags. Number of donors are working on legal education, however, no one is focusing their attention on providing trainings on human rights. In today’s society, the whole legal profession needs human rights sensitivity training in order to change their old mentality.

2.      Joint researches of NGO’s analyze the violation of laws and the subsequent violation of citizen’s Human Rights to determine if there is a systemic or systematic abuses by the government by issuing resolutions, decrees and other documents, which are directly contrary to Mongolian statutes and/or International Conventions that Mongolia is a party to. These results to be shared with other NGOs and the government and international institutions in Mongolia in order to assist them to understand the effects of this sort of repression of Human Rights on the citizens of Mongolia

3.      Human rights training for prison authorities and monitoring Detention Centers.

4.     Widely publicize the specific violations, cases and facts through media along with advocating the certain rights and lobby for change.

·        Organizing actions on the specific cases:

1.      Mr. Batsaikhan case (This case is about repeated and continuous human rights violations of Mr. Batsaikhan, a Customs Tax Accountant who was beaten, dismissed, jailed, disabled, and accused of a crime when he demanded that a higher ranking officer work according to the Customs tax procedures (by the law). This case occurred in Selenge Aimag. This case was a classic example of corruption, injustice, and inequality before the law. The customs office, the police, prosecution, and courts colluded jointly to find this individual guilty of crimes that he did not commit; in fact he was a victim of a crime against his own person.

2.      Mr. Erdenochir’s case: (This case involved a herdsman that has been repeatedly sentenced to death while the guilt was not proven by the preponderance of the evidence presented to the court.  Mr. Erdenochir, a herdsman from Zavhan Province, accused of murder in the death of another herdsman Purevdorj.  His case has been decided several times by Aimag courts and three times the Supreme Court of Mongolia has returned this case back to investigation due to a lack of evidence.  Mr. Erdenochir has spent over 7 years in highest security prisons of Mongolia and has been sentenced to death three times.

 ·        Initiate and organize activities to strengthen the capacity building of Human Rights NGO’s

 CURRENT ACTIVITIES:

·        Currently, the Center as a main coordinating NGO’s is working on two specific violations mentioned above.

LCLRS sent a number of complaints to the Prosecutor General’s Office and General Police Department of Mongolia requesting that these offices provide oversight of the investigation in this case. Mr. Batsaikhan suffered serious physical injuries at the hands of the Customs officers. In three separate reports from the Forensic Hospital it was stated that the degree of these injuries varied widely but all on the minor side of the scale but all reports ignored the actual physical state of Mr. Batsaikhan.  All supporting medical records disappeared. We wrote a letter to the Minister of Health requesting an investigation of the conspiracy of these doctors with Selenge Aimag officials and also requesting the disappearance of the medical records also be investigated.  As a result of this letter 3 doctors were dismissed from their positions and the missing records were found.  Ichinnorov the head of LCLRS highlighted this case during various press interviews with daily newspapers and television. Currently the case has come to the attention of the newly established Human Rights Commission of Mongolia and as requested by LCSLR the commission is investigating these violations.   

Mr. Choijiljav, the father of Erdenochir, has been fighting for the life of his son for the last seven years going to different organizations, writing complaints to all legal organizations and responsible individuals including the President of Mongolia. In Summer 2001 he was sent to LCLRS being referred by the NGO Human Rights and Development Center. After studying this case we presented this case on one of our television shows. Then Mrs. Ichinnorov met with the prosecutor who was overseeing this case at the General Prosecutors Office and the judge of the Supreme Court that was deciding the case at the appeals level informing them that this individual’s human rights had been seriously violated. She warned that if this case is not decided favorably this time that formal complaints to the International Human Rights Commission would be forthcoming. The decision of the Supreme Court held in January 2002 sent the case back to investigation. The Prosecutor returned the case to the lower level court stating that there was enough evidence against him although they had no new findings of evidence.  At this stage of his case,  Ichinnorov is publicizing this case, seeking the combined effort of NGOs to fight for this right to life.  During the interviews to media she is accusing the legal system of not being able to dismiss this case since the prosecution and the judiciary are grounded in the previous Communist system where the accused was always found guilty, believing that he would not have been accused if he was not guilty.  She is also accusing the legal professionals of ignoring the rule of law) 

·        Many more cases coming to the Center after the forum, and they have been handled by the lawyers of the Center and the working group established by the Center.

·        Jointly with the National Human Rights Commission, provided training for Bayanhongor aimag’s legal professionals.

·        Jointly with the Information Radio 105.5, broadcasting several human rights programs.

Through LCLRS’s efforts Mongolian Human Rights NGOs are working towards a common, united voice.