GLOBE INTERNATIONAL

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                 Suhbaatar Duureg No 8, City Cultural Palace, Tower G, 3d Floor, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, 210620-A, P.O.B 28

       Tel /fax: 9761 1 32 4764, Tel: 976 11 32 46 27, E-mail: globe@magicnet.mn, web: www.globeinter.org.mn, www.monitoring.mn

 

 

Media release

July 5,2008

Globe International, Mongolia

 

Globe International is protesting the police to use television video materials as evidences against the people

 

 

Globe International is protesting the General Police Authority to use video materials of the Ulaanbaatar based television channels produced during the public demonstration in front of the building of the Mongolian People’s Revolutionary Party and the riot started after few hours of the event on July 1, 2008.

 

The General Police Authority and the General Investigation Authority demanded the television channels to provide the video materials and use it as evidences against over 700 people arrested and detained by Decree of the President on State of Emergency issued on July 1, 2008.

 

We believe that television channels have the right to refuse from the police demand, if their news productions were used against the demonstrators and observers of the event.

 

According to the Mongolian practice, the courts and the police do not consider and accept the media materials as evidences, when it comes to civil and criminal defamation cases against media. 

 

Globe International holds it absolutely wrong and unethical that the police is running the edited episodes of the video materials with their commentaries through the news programs of the Mongolian National Public Television, which is the only permitted and entirely government controlled broadcaster at the moment.  

 

Therefore, Globe International demands the General Police Authority to stop their injudicious and crafty action.  

 

 

Additional information

 

Mongolia’s 2008 Parliamentarian elections were held on June 29, 2008 and 12 political parties and one coalition contested for 76 seats.  Next day, on June 30, 2008 the Mongolian People’s Revolutionary Party (MPRP) convened a press conference and stated that they won the elections with absolute majority. That time, the General Election Commission did not officially announce the final results of the elections.  The opposition parties protested the results stating the elections were not fair and they demanded the re-counting of the vote. The opposition parties organized the public demonstration in front of the building of the MPRP. After few hours the demonstrators started attacking the building and burning it. The police could not control the situation. Now the building was entirely burnt. Afterwards it turned to the mass disorder and the riots started vandalizing and robbing the MPRP building. The attacked building of the City Cultural Palace complex located on behalf of the MPRP building. Bloc B of the complex fully burnt and Bloc C was partly suffered from the fire. The offices located at all other blocs have been robbed and vandalized. 

 

P.S

We regret we are not able to normally work because of carbon monoxide fumes from the burning.  The office of Globe International located in the Bloc G, is heavily sooty. There are no electricity and water.  We are seeking a new office at the moment.