The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins with its affiliate, the Confederation of
Mongolian Journalists, in calling for the immediate release of Ulaanbaatar Times editor-in-chief
Chuluunbaatar Dolgor, who has been held in custody since his arrest on March
24.
The call comes as the Parliament of
Mongolia passed new freedom of information legislation, known as the Law on
Information, Transparency, Right and Freedom to Access Information. The law,
passed on June 16, will take effect on December 1.
The IFJ has written to President Elbegdorj
Tsahia to protest the continuing detention of Chuluunbaatar, 51, who was
arrested on charges of “illegal privatisation and serious damage of public
property” for his alleged involvement in the privatisation of the newspaper and
its offices in the capital, Ulaanbaatar,
in 2008.
Chuluunbaatar, who is also Secretary-General
of the Confederation of Mongolian Journalists, faces up to 15 years in prison
if found guilty. The journalist, who is held at Detention Centre No. 461 and
has been denied bail on nine occasions, denies any wrongdoing.
“The IFJ is extremely concerned for
the welfare of Chuluunbaatar Dolgor, who has serious health problems that
require urgent medical assistance,” IFJ Asia-Pacific
Director Jacqueline Park said.
“We call on all concerned people and
organisations to join the campaign to see Chuluunbaatar freed on bail so that
he can seek treatment and contest the charges.”
The IFJ urges individuals
and organisations to join the global campaign to see Chuluunbaatar freed, by
writing to President Elbegdorj Tsahia here and sending him a message via Twitter (@elbegdorj or use #freeChuluunbaatar).
For further
information contact IFJ Asia-Pacific
on +61 2 9333 0919
The IFJ
represents more than 600,000 journalists in 131 countries
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IFJ on Twitter: @ifjasiapacific
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