Mongolia’s democracy is in jeopardy. Five people including four died of bullet wounds of AKA shot by the police aiming at them, more than 119 people wounded, 712 people were arrested and being tortured by the authority to give false statement. Now I am in danger of being arrested and being tortured.

Mongolia’s present authority MPRP – the former communist party is using the dictatorship countries’ method of stealing votes, giving alcohol to people to cause riot, not to stop the riot, then afterwards to arrest innocent people and to announce curfew and crack down opposition and democracy.

I request your help to Mongolia’s democracy and me. I request you to ask international media to cover the real story on this.

People those were discontent with the elections results demanded where their votes for democracy went from MPRP. They were saying that they didn’t elect the newly elected MPRP candidates. During this the authority was watching and sitting idle, and made the demonstrators angrier by its police acts and non acts. They clashed with police and attacked MPRP building. When the MPRP building and part of Central House of Culture were on fire, the authority was simply watching and sitting idle instead of sending fire brigades until after the fire finished. It was shown on several Mongolian TV channels live at that time. The authority didn’t do anything when violence began. After it was over, the authority declared state of emergency and robbed the people’s rights illegally as closing all TV channels except one controlled by MPRP people. Democratic Party of Mongolia considers that this state of emergency should be stopped. Mongolia shouldn’t go to one party, one television channel system.

The cases of declaring emergency after everything was over and then suffocated democracy and freedom of the people of the country occurred in many dictatorship countries. This method and technology have been fulfilled in Mongolia by its present authority. Discontent of many years of people boiled out. People protected their freedom. People wouldn’t come out when a chairman calls. That period is not anymore in Mongolia.

The authorities had time to talk with people in the afternoon. I sent requests to have talks to the President, Prime Minister and Speaker of the Parliament when the chaos began. But I met them after 4 hours. I intended to find the right way to solve the problem. But the authority humiliated the people by declaring state of emergency after the riot was already over.

In the beginning of demonstration in front of MPRP building the people were saying that their votes were robbed for 3 times in elections. Their rights were violated and they wanted to express this. But the authority answered like this. The authority was simply watching idle while buildings were on fire, violence erupted, and the police were shooting escaping people. The authority shouldn’t have declared state of emergency. During this time I went to Sukhbaatar square for four times. Nobody threw stones to me. They talked to me. I tried my best to pacify them. They were asking why the authority were not coming out as me. I requested and met with the authority of the country after 4 hours in the real emergency situation. But after the meeting as they humiliate, the state of emergency was declared. Armed forces machines are only used in war not against citizens. But it is inexcusable that the authority of Mongolia used fire arms against people instead of showing state iron face to corrupt bureaucrats, swindlers and those who robs the freedom of people.

All Mongolian TV channels, except National Public Television which is chaired and controlled by MPRP members, were closed and curfew has been in service in Ulaanbaatar since 12AM, July 2, 2008 for 4 days by the decree of Mongolia’s President who declared state of emergency. Mongolians are not getting enough information since all live TVs closed down for the present situation. Some people expressed their protest against this Sukhbaatar square on July 2nd. People are criticizing in the streets and in Mongolian websites that the closing of TV channels as the authority tries to brainwash Mongolians only showing what the authority wants to show.

What happened is this. There was the Parliamentary Elections on last Sunday June 29, 2008 in Mongolia. Most Mongolians, all Mongolian mass media and Democratic Party have plenty of evidence that there were elections irregularities totaling to influence the elections result for more than 30% of voted percentage to the candidates during the elections.

Around 3AM on June 30th, the first vote counting results came from elections units those counted votes from main boxes. By the result, 64 out of 76 seats at the Parliament were coming to Democratic Party candidates. At 3.30AM MPRP secretary general Yo.Otgonbayar made an announcement as MPRP is winning in the elections by preliminary results. The authority MPRP illegally changed the elections result beginning from 3AM. MPRP Secretary General kept making same announcements for every 3 to 2 hours. Eventually on June 30th at 6PM S.Bayar, MPRP chairman made an announcement as most probably MPRP won for the elections. The MPRP controlled elections units reduced the number of winning Democratic Party candidates to 28 at that time. Now the authority MPRP is still trying to reduce the 28 to lower.

Generel Elections Committee hasn’t announced the official elections result yet. The General Elections Committee has 8 MPRP members and one Democratic Party member. Approximately 20 thousand people worked on the elections constituency units and 26 constituencies of the elections. Most of the people those ran and governed elections units belong to MPRP. By law it is prohibited for state unit governors and state unit social workers to work for elections unit. But in reality all elections units had irregularities as the state unit governors and social workers worked for elections units.

After the voting process finished, at each elections unit one person read aloud the voted candidates’ names and another wrote it down. Another person is watching the read aloud names. Mostly all of the three people belong to MPRP otherwise they were cash awarded by the MPRP during the counting according to observers. Many observers those were standing far away from them said on TV that if a candidate from other party than MPRP were circled by voter, the reader read out simply MPRP candidate’s name which begins with same alphabet rather than the real circled one. For example if an independent candidate Baasan was circled the reader reads aloud Batbayar, candidate of MPRP. If it is Gankhuyag of Democratic Party, it would most probably be read out Gandhi of MPRP. This was the most influencing irregularities. There were many other irregularities.

Small examples are: All authority places in Mongolia are governed mostly by MPRP people. Voters registration process had many flaws as elections committee registered a household with 28-43 people while in reality the family has 4 people. Passed away people, 4 year old were registered as voters. Many numbered people were given 2 voters’ ID instead of 1 ID or some people were double registered in 6 constituencies.

MPRP and its candidates distributed cash right before, during and after elections campaign even at 2AM and 3AM in the middle of the night knocking on family doors on June 29 right before the elections that began at 7AM. Cash giving from MPRP candidate was videotaped in Uvs province and broadcast on most TV channels before the elections. Some people who received cash talked about this on Mongolian TV channels such as C1.

On the elections day MPRP transport people to elections unit and gave them cash before and after they voted at the unit and witnesses talked about it on TV channels. Right before voting is closed at 10PM, MPRP brought vans full of people to elections units to make them to vote.

There are many examples such as one elections unit which has 2400 electors accepted additional 1000 votes from a box as voted prior days of the elections. It gave an opportunity to those 1000 people to vote again on the elections day in different voting units as many people said on TV channels including elections observers. Also at many elections units electricity was cut for hours or for 20 minutes in the night of the elections. And when the electricity comes, some MPRP authority people at the elections unit were furiously saying that the electricity came too soon. Witnesses talked about this on TV.

Moreover, 43 ballots disappeared right before the elections began at a unit. Ballots were carried in plastic bags, in an apple box in small private taxis without observers to constituencies from units as they said there is no enough room in small cars for observers. Observers suspect the ballot papers were changed or added on the road to the other building.

On the night of June 30th 4 hours after MPRP chairman and Prime Minister S.Bayar made announcement of probable MPRP winning, around 9.30 PM many voters gathered at Sukhbaatar square and talked live on TV channel NTV that the elections was conducted unfair and illegal way. They were crying and demanding Democratic Party and its leaders to show up to support their choices for democracy.

On July 1st at 12PM I made a press conference. I told Mongolian journalists that the elections ballot counting had irregularities, ballots were changed and the results of Democratic Party candidates’ winning was suddenly reduced from 64 to 28. Surgery was made to the elections results. The MPRP tried to take the power of the country by changing the results of the elections. It is violating the Constitution. All wrongdoers should be evidenced and charged by Criminal Law. Democratic Party demands to recount the ballot based on the irregularities. The recounting can be done only by the decree of the President of Mongolia according to law. Therefore, Democratic Party would request for this. It was broadcast live on three TV channels, and all other Mongolian TVs showed it on the same day.

Also on July 1st in Darkhan city, people made demonstration to show support for Democratic Party candidate Democratic Movement’s secretary Sh.Tuvdendorj and Sh.Ichinnorov from Civil Coalition. On C1 television Darkhan’s people were crying and talking that how come the elections results since their families, relatives, neighbors all chose for the two candidates. But MPRP candidate Khayankhyarvaa, Darkhan’s governor whose decision caused Khongor soum of Darkhan province to be fully contaminated by mercury was elected as the Member of Parliament with the highest percentage according to the elections constituency’s result. The people of the constituency expressed their surprise at the demonstration that they know nobody who voted for him in the province. They said on TV there should be elections irregularities and demand recounting of ballots.

On July 1st Democratic Party began to collect signatures on Sukhbaatar square in Ulaanbaatar whether the law enforcement should check the elections irregularities.

On the same day in the afternoon Civil Coalition which took one seat at the Parliament by the preliminary results brought its demand of ballot recounting by walking in the street. It was shown on TV channels that the Civil Coalition people led by its leader O.Magnai walking to General Elections Committee and then they were going to MPRP building to give its demand on paper. As on live TVs showed, the MPRP building was protected by the police. The police surrounds the building. People with flags of Civil Coalition, Civil Movement Party, Republican Party and National New Party were demonstrating and expressing their protest against the elections results and demanding recounting of ballots.

At 6PM, on July 1st Prime Minister MPRP Chairman Bayar made press conference in MPRP building blaming Democratic Party chairman for the words said at 12PM press conference.

At one point the Civil Coalition leader O.Magnai tried to enter the MPRP building to give his demand paper, but the guards and police didn’t let them in. The police forced the demonstrators away from the entrance of MPRP building. Then there was clash of demonstrators and the police at the entrance of MPRP building as shown on National Public TV and Eagle Television live at that time. B.Jargalsaikhan, chairman of Republican Party went out of the gathered people in front of MPRP building with a person beaten by the police at one point on NTV.

There was separate peaceful gathering of people on Sukhbaatar square on that day and I came out to Sukhbaatar square for four times to appeal people to be calm and peaceful to fulfill the cause of democracy while there were riots in front of MPRP building which was not on site from Sukhbaatar square directly.

During that time on the square in front of MPRP building the clashed angry demonstrators were throwing stones to MPRP building as shown live on TV channels. Also the police were throwing stones against the demonstrators. Demonstrators were far outnumbered than the police. The police were aiming and shooting the demonstrators with rubber bullets. But the ones who were hit immediately badly wounded in their eyes and neck and they were entering ambulance car with help of others covered in blood. It was shown on live TV channels.

Democratic Party immediately requested talks to find ways to stop the chaos in front of MPRP building and to check on irregularities of the elections from the President of Mongolia and MPRP chairman. Eventually around 8PM after fire began on the 1st floor of the MPRP building, the talks at the initiation of the Democratic Party organized by the President of Mongolia with participation of MPRP and other party leaders. At the meeting MPRP chairman S.Bayar said he is blaming a party chairman who made statement on that day for the chaos. Our party members asked him to name it. He didn’t directly named. I told him that no freeman will cause chaos by words of a chairman. Democratic Party again appealed calmness to people specially the ones in front of MPRP building during the talks broadcasted live on TVs. The authority didn’t send any fire brigade to stop the fire in MPRP building on the late night of July 1 st as shown live on TVs.

On July 1st at 11.30PM Mongolia’s President declared state of emergency effective 12AM July 2nd for 4 days and by the decree he closed all TV channels except one, put curfew between 10PM to 8AM, gave rights to the police to arrest people if necessary, and to prohibit any gathering of people.

In the night of July 2nd at closed special session of the Parliament, MPRP chairman Prime Minister S.Bayar announced that he has evidences who caused the chaos in front of MPRP building.

On July 2nd only open TV channel National Public TV reported that MPRP building and some parts of Central House of Culture which is located next to MPRP building burnt down. Arts and items were stolen from the buildings or burnt down.

On July 1st, during the chaos TV channels broadcasted people’s talks live and during that many people expressed their thoughts that MPRP chairman S.Bayar simply should have received the demand of Civil Coalition and should have said that they would give the answer later rather than forcing police against the peaceful protestors to cause the chaos.

Newspapers were warned by the authority not to publish any articles blaming MPRP. National Public TV is showing mostly only burnt down building and wounded policemen. The TV doesn’t show any wounded ordinary people or any information on how many people were arrested. Mongolian websites and newspapers reported that 712 people were arrested and apparently being tortured on July 2nd.

I went to hospitals and met with wounded peopleon July 2nd. But today on July 3rd my access to many things closed. I and Democratic Party expressed our condolence to the passed away people’s families and the wounded and injured ones. Also we are very much worried for the fate of the arrested and being tortured people.

At the talks initiated by Democratic Party and organized by the President of Mongolia on the night of July 1st MPRP chairman S.Bayar accused me for the July 1st riot and violence without naming but saying it was caused by a party chairman’s statement on that day. On the night of July 2nd S.Bayar said at the Parliament he has evidences on who caused chaos. It seems now MPRP is ready to arrest and torture me based on their apparently fabricated evidences prepared by MPRP.

I and Democratic Party have no connection to the chaos and violence and it was not even begun by Democratic Party. At the talks of July 1st I told it to S.Bayar and a Democratic Party MP B.Batbaatar suggested at the talks that the fire of MPRP building was done by MPRP itself as its members burnt its flags and covered it up to create public anger against Democratic Party in January 2006 while taking me down from the Prime Minister’s post.

Democratic Party of Mongolia is for fostering democracy and standing on people’s side for their better future.

Prime Minister MPRP Chairman S.Bayar’s oblique accusation and present authority’s acts of these days are very similar to how dictators of former Soviet Union and dictatorship countries suppressed democracy, purged people and their opposition leaders and justified themselves as you know.

I request you if possible to let any interested people know on this situation and elections irregularities in Mongolia.

Elbegdorj

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