Mongolia: the closed-door appeal trial of a detained journalist in an alarming sign for press freedom

On 5 November, Chief Judge of the Capital City Court of Criminal Appeals announced that the entire appeal trialof Unurtsetseg Naran, editor-in-chief of the news website Zarig.mn, scheduled for 7 November, will be held behind closed doors.

The journalist was sentenced to 4 years and 9 monthsin prison in Julyafter a closed-door trial held at the Criminal Court of First Instance of Sukhbaatar District in the Mongolian capital, Ulaanbaatar. Unurtsetseg was found guilty of five charges: "tax evasion", "disclosure of personal information", "illegal acquisition of state secrets", "money laundering", and "spreading false information". While the court stated that its decision to hold the trial behind closed doors was based on the grounds of national security and protecting the sensitive information of a minor, its complete gag on disclosing any information about the proceedings is a worrying sign.

The initial proceedings were widely criticisedby civil society groups in Mongolia, who pointed out that, despite the serious nature of the charges brought against this journalist, the court had conducted the trial behind closed doors. A joint statement by Mongolian press freedom NGOs declared that the decision goes against the principle of an open, transparent court, and could potentially result in "unpredictability of the media industry's process, intimidation, and foster self-censorship among journalists."

Unurtsetseg Naran is well-known for her investigations exposing the corruption and money laundering of high-ranking Mongolian officials, work that previously led to at least 16 defamation charges against her, according to RSF's information. In this ongoing case, she was first investigated for "spreading false information" following her social media posts criticisingthe Mongolian judicial system, then later charged with more serious offences. She was arrested in December 2023, detained for over two months, and then placed under house arrest before being sent to jail.

Press freedom has recently deteriorated in Mongolia, despite the government's claims that it is committed to democratic values. In May 2024, journalist Bayarmaa Ayurzana was arrested, detainedand subsequently charged in connection with investigations into alleged misconduct by the country's former deputy prime minister, who is now a member of parliament.

Mongolia, ranked 109th out of 180 territories in RSF's 2024 World Press Freedom Index, has plummeted down 36 places since 2020. The press freedom situation is considered "difficult" due to frequent abusive legal proceedings against journalists, the concentration of media ownership, and growing political pressure and corruption among political elites that impact the media.