Two Men in Inner Mongolia in Detention for Involvement in Mongolian Organization and for Planned Protest

June 24, 2009

Authorities in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (IMAR) have detained two Mongol men on charges of involvement with a pan-Mongolian organization and for attempting to organize a protest, according to a May 3 report from the U.S.-based Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center (SMHRIC). State security personnel detained Almas in the IMAR capital of Hohhot on April 30, 2009, while authorities detained Baoyu in Bogt (Baotou) city on the same day.

Authorities in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (IMAR) have detained two Mongol men on charges of involvement with a pan-Mongolian organization and for attempting to organize a protest, according to a May 3 report from the U.S.-based Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center (SMHRIC). State security personnel detained Almas in the IMAR capital of Hohhot on April 30, 2009, while authorities detained Baoyu in Bogt (Baotou) city on the same day. According to the report, authorities detained them for involvement or alleged involvement in the "Pan-Mongolia Association," which authorities label as a separatist organization, as well as for alleged attempts to arrange a protest in Hohhot on the 62nd anniversary of the IMAR's founding on May 1. SMHRIC reported that Almas is the secretary of the Pan-Mongolia Association and that authorities alleged Baoyu was also involved in the organization. According to SMHRIC, sources reported that a call to hold a protest and an announcement about a conference to address ethnic issues in the IMAR, both written in the name of the Pan-Mongolia Association, were distributed through the Internet and text messages. Further details about the cases, including the men's current whereabouts, are unknown.

Also on April 30, security officials in Naiman banner, Tongliao city, detained businessman Arslan, one of Almas' friends, according to the SMHRIC report. They questioned him about his association with Almas, about the Pan-Mongolia Association, and about Arslan's Internet publications, which they charged harmed ethnic harmony. Authorities held him in three periods of detention for three days before releasing him.

The detentions follow other measures to punish ethnic Mongols for promoting Mongols' rights or for their links or perceived links to overseas ethnic rights organizations. As noted in the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC)2008 Annual Report, in July 2008, authorities in the IMAR detained businessman Burildguun for alleged ties to an overseas Mongolian political group. In March, authorities detained writer Naranbilig for 20 days in connection with his plans to attend the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and with his broader activities advocating for the rights of ethnic Mongols. The same month, authorities also detained activist Tsebegjab for his alleged ties to overseas activists. Authorities later placed both Naranbilig and Tsebegjab under confinement in their homes.

The detentions come as the government continues to implement policies in the IMAR that have undermined the protection of Mongols' rights. As noted in the CECC 2008 Annual Report, longstanding government policies have disrupted traditional pastoral livelihoods, forced resettlement and assimilation, and reduced the use of the Mongolian language. Authorities have taken some steps in recent years to revive the use of Mongolian, with mixed results, but elsewhere authorities have targeted some Mongolian language Web sites for closure.

For more information on conditions in the IMAR, see Section II--Ethnic Minority Rights in the CECC 2008 Annual Report.