The NGO Globe International has issued three alerts about what it claims are restrictions on the right to information and intimidation of journalists in Hovd and Zavkhan aimags.
In the first, Globe claims that the Hovd Aimag Governor’s Office and the State Professional Inspection Agency /Hovd branch/ has blocked relayed broadcasts of five televisions channels to about 2000 ger house-holds.

Mongolian Radio and Television /MRTV/ in September began relying its own televisions programs and those of TV-9, TV-5, UBS and Channel 25 to Jargalan soum.
MRTV’s P.Gantumur said, “The Finance Ministry has requested about Tg 1.9 billion in the national budget for re-transmission of TV channels to remote areas. We aim to be transmitting television to 140 soum centers by the end of the year.”

Under current legislation, anyone wishing to run a rural radio and television re-transmission station must obtain formal approval from the aimag administration.

P.Bat-Ochir had already submitted an official application to the Hovd governor’s office and was reported to be still awaiting a reply.

Globe in its announcement cited Article 19 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights: “Everyone has the right…..to seek, receive and impart information… through any media and regardless of frontiers.”

Globe has written protests to the governor, the Human Rights Commission, the Communications Regulatory Commission, MRTV and the aimag Citizens’s Representatives Hural.
The NGO is also drawing attention to what is says were threats made to journalist G.Ganchimeg of the Hovdyn Medee /Hovd News/ over an article she wrote claiming overcharging for air tickets on the private carrier Air Mongolia.

The article claimed that correct price of an air ticket to Ulaanbaatar was Tg 76500, but that the local agent and her cashier charged between Tg 5000 and Tg 10000 for each ticket they sold.
The journalist has been told that she must”… reveal the source of information or we will take you to court.”

They are also demanding to censor any future articles before publication, while Ganchimeg claimed that the overpricing has been common gossip for years.
In another case, Globe International claimed that Zavkhan Aimag Governor L.Gansukh has threatened to close down the local newspaper for publishing information on the compulsory auction of the Uliastai hotel.

Globe said that the governor summoned the editor and his own media head to his office and “yelled at them for some time.”

The governor accused the editor of publishing the announcement without checking on the source and demanded an immediate correction, accusing Natsagmaa of not censoring articles.
He further threatened, “if you don’t rectify your mistake immediately, I will dismiss you and I can close down your newspaper.”

Globe International pointed out that Article 47 of the Law on Implementation of Court Decisions states: “An organization implementing a compulsory auction shall announce the sale publicly at least 14 days before the sale through the media.

Sources: http://www.mongolmessenger.mn