Globe International is implementing a campaigning on decriminalization of defamation “Ask!” with the support of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange network (IFEX). It is a part of our long-term strategy aiming at creation of favorable media legal environment, particularly decriminalization defamation.

Globe International has been working on the issue since 2002, when the new Criminal Law enacted and used against a female journalist Khanddolgor. We have published the handbook for legislators, organized the events and conducted the comparative legal analysis and surveys among journalists. The Parliament passed the amendment on the criminal defamation provision in 2006. The former provision said “if the libel distributed through mass media” replaced by “if libel distributed before the public” which means it became wider and it still takes the chilling effect on freedom of expression.

In 2009, the Mongolian Government submitted its report on the ICCPR with 6 years of delay. Globe International in cooperation with Centre for Political and Civil Rights (Switzerland) and Center for Human Rights and Development, Mongolia mobilized 26 Mongolian human rights NGOs to prepare the shadow report to the UN Human Rights Committee on the ICCPR. We wrote the chapters on Article 19 and 22 and Kh.Naranjargal, President attended the UN HRC 101st session held in New York from 14 March to 1 April 2011.

The UN HRC recommended the Mongolian Government” The State party should guarantee the full compliance of the draft law on freedom of information with the Covenant and enact it. It should consider decriminalizing defamation and ensure that measures are taken to protect journalists from threats and attacks. It should also ensure that all allegations of such threats and attacks are immediately and thoroughly investigated, and that the perpetrators are prosecuted.”

However, the Mongolian authorities are slow to take actions to decriminalize defamation. The 2012 June Parliamentarian elections would be most appropriate moment to raise the issue again.

The main strategic concept of the campaigning is to ask the political parties and candidates, if they are committed to repeal the criminal defamation during the election campaigning and lobby them to say “YES!” and ask them again to take their promises after formation of the new Parliament and Government in the Fall 2012.

The project is designed for using tools of theatre and new media to raise the issues and explain why decriminalization defamation. The goal of the campaigning is to advocate and lobby the decriminalization defamation thus supporting the rights of independent media to tell the truth.