HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT OF MONGOLIA
The U.S Embassy in Ulaanbaatar has posted the Human Rights Report of Mongolia for 2010 in its website.
Mongolia, with a population of about three million, is a multiparty, parliamentary democracy.
The most recent presidential election, held in May 2009 and considered largely free and fair, was won by former prime minister Tsakhia Elbegdorj of the Democratic Party (DP). The Prime Minister Sukhbaatar Batbold and his majority Mongolian People’s Party (MPP) continued to dominate the parliament but governed under a unity government with the DP. Security forces reported to civilian authorities.
While the law provides for protection of basic human rights, the following human rights problems were noted: police abuse of prisoners and detainees; uneven enforcement of the law and official impunity; poor conditions in detention centers; arbitrary arrest, lengthy pretrial detention, and corruption within the judicial system; government interference in the media; continued refusal by some provincial governments to register Christian churches; secrecy laws and a lack of transparency in government affairs; inadequate measures to counter domestic violence against women; and trafficking in persons.”
Respect for the Integrity of the Person, Including Freedom: There were no reports that the government or its agents committed arbitrary or unlawful killings during the year.
In February, after investigating the circumstances of the 2008 protest resulting in the deaths of five persons, the State Prosecutor General’s Office (SPO) dropped all charges against the 10 police officers suspected of firing upon civilians and the four senior police officials suspected of giving the order to open fire. However, in November the SPO reopened the case. Moreover, there were no reports of politically motivated disappearances.
The law prohibits practices of torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment. However, sources reported that police, especially in rural areas, occasionally beat prisoners and detainees. The use of unnecessary force, particularly to obtain confessions, in the arrest process reportedly was common.
Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) claimed that guards or police sometimes meted out cruel punishment to inmates at police stations and detention centers. The NGOs stated that some inmates were burned with cigarettes, beaten with batons, or kicked in the shins with steel-toed boots.
According to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), during the year the SPO’s Special Investigative Unit (SIU) received 210 complaints from citizens, including 10 complaints against police and prison officers suspected of torture, of which three were dismissed, five led to convictions, and two were sent to the SPO. The NHRC stated that some incidents of alleged torture occurred during investigations but not during imprisonment. The NHRC received five complaints against police and law enforcement officers concerning beatings, abuse, and confessions through torture. The five complaints were transferred to the SIU; one had resulted in compensation and arrests or charges by year’s end.
Amnesty International reported that hazing was common within the military, primarily including beatings by higher-ranking personnel of their subordinates.
Source : Montsame.mn
Mongolia, with a population of about three million, is a multiparty, parliamentary democracy.
The most recent presidential election, held in May 2009 and considered largely free and fair, was won by former prime minister Tsakhia Elbegdorj of the Democratic Party (DP). The Prime Minister Sukhbaatar Batbold and his majority Mongolian People’s Party (MPP) continued to dominate the parliament but governed under a unity government with the DP. Security forces reported to civilian authorities.
While the law provides for protection of basic human rights, the following human rights problems were noted: police abuse of prisoners and detainees; uneven enforcement of the law and official impunity; poor conditions in detention centers; arbitrary arrest, lengthy pretrial detention, and corruption within the judicial system; government interference in the media; continued refusal by some provincial governments to register Christian churches; secrecy laws and a lack of transparency in government affairs; inadequate measures to counter domestic violence against women; and trafficking in persons.”
Respect for the Integrity of the Person, Including Freedom: There were no reports that the government or its agents committed arbitrary or unlawful killings during the year.
In February, after investigating the circumstances of the 2008 protest resulting in the deaths of five persons, the State Prosecutor General’s Office (SPO) dropped all charges against the 10 police officers suspected of firing upon civilians and the four senior police officials suspected of giving the order to open fire. However, in November the SPO reopened the case. Moreover, there were no reports of politically motivated disappearances.
The law prohibits practices of torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment. However, sources reported that police, especially in rural areas, occasionally beat prisoners and detainees. The use of unnecessary force, particularly to obtain confessions, in the arrest process reportedly was common.
Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) claimed that guards or police sometimes meted out cruel punishment to inmates at police stations and detention centers. The NGOs stated that some inmates were burned with cigarettes, beaten with batons, or kicked in the shins with steel-toed boots.
According to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), during the year the SPO’s Special Investigative Unit (SIU) received 210 complaints from citizens, including 10 complaints against police and prison officers suspected of torture, of which three were dismissed, five led to convictions, and two were sent to the SPO. The NHRC stated that some incidents of alleged torture occurred during investigations but not during imprisonment. The NHRC received five complaints against police and law enforcement officers concerning beatings, abuse, and confessions through torture. The five complaints were transferred to the SIU; one had resulted in compensation and arrests or charges by year’s end.
Amnesty International reported that hazing was common within the military, primarily including beatings by higher-ranking personnel of their subordinates.
Source : Montsame.mn
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