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Liberty Center, a Mongolian NGO

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Date: September 07, 2004

MONGOLIA: A Victim of Communist Friendship of Mongolia and Soviet Union Continues to Suffer for 13 th Year

 Mr.Magsar Molom, 63, is a well-known person in Mongolia, unfortunately, for a very sad reason. His case was raised by almost all popular media of Mongolia and his letters and complaints reached at least 26 governmental and judicial organizations. He is blind since 2002. His blindness, however, is not the biggest problem for Mr.Magsar – an energetic sharp-minded man. What hurts him is injustice that rose in front of him one day in 1991 and stayed like an unbreakable wall since.

“I was a big-dreamer and the first farmer who had a private complex farm which had chicken, pigs, cows, horse, vegetables and many other things like houses.” Magsar recalls. He bought his farm from a Soviet Union army unit that located in Mongolia by then and liked his farm very much as it was well equipped and with efficient facility. The farm was located in Dambadarjaa—east of Ulaanbaatar city. “Dambadarjaa was not that crowded place by then. It was an isolated corner of the city.”

At 11a.m. of October 03, 1991 a military lorry came into his farm’s yard and 22 soldiers armed with AKA, guns and long knives began spreading out taking positions in all corners of the farm yard so that outsiders can’t penetrate the farm territory. Magsar was staying at home with his wife, parents-in-law and two old people as well as several children. “There were maybe fifteen of us, mostly those kids who don’t study at school and old people. I was the only adult and younger male” Magsar remembers. “I speak Russian well, and I asked what was going on and why armed soldiers had to come to his place.” But he was pulled out by two soldiers, was put outside of the yard. He complained loudly stating that Russian soldiers were occupying his property and he would certainly complain. Soldiers did not react by force again, but stayed there for eight days saying that the selling Soviet Union property to Magsar by another unit was a mistake and the current unit came to get the property back. Magsar tried to defend his property and complained to the Sukhbaatar district police about the incident on the same day.

“Police reacted and sent their representative to my farm. They talked separately with Russian soldiers, I was denied to attend their talks. Later I was informed that Russian soldiers would leave the place and settle the property dispute according to our law.” Magsar says to Liberty Center. “Meanwhile, soldiers not only remained there days but also have been killing animals from my farm and eating there on our eyes. Even the Ambassador of the Soviet Union did not believe me when I complained about it during those days.”

At 10p.m. of October 10, 1991 Russian soldiers suddenly began removing us from our yard by force. ‘I still remember that it was a dark chilly night and there was nobody around but us and the soldiers. As the soldiers began running us out, puling adults from home out children began crying and females were shouting and we were complaining loudly. But no police station was around and our voice was not heard in the darkness. My father-in-law, who refused to go outside because it was cold, was put outside too. Two tall soldiers just carried him out with his bed. ” Magsar recalls.

In the darkness, while shivering from autumn coldness, Magsar and fourteen other helpless ones witnessed how Russian soldiers shot pigs and animals with high pressure water and run them out of the yard. “Soldiers, with AKAs ready to shoot, watched us from all sides. Officers with guns were also directing this operation. We could not move. All I could do was to complain about this invasion to Police and the Ambassador again.”

“My husband and I went to two directions. I went to police and my husband went to government officials and the Soviet Union Embassy” recalls Mrs.Oyunchimeg, Magsar’s wife. “What Russian soldiers did to us was a crime. It was an organized and intentional robbery with violence at least. Maybe it was a bigger thing like a war crime, but we did not know that term in 1991. However, no police office—district or a central one—was able to open a criminal case on that incident. They just escaped from this case pointing to one or another. I knew it was because a unit from Soviet Union was involved in crime. We felt so helpless with no place to go.”

Finally, the case was considered by a court in May 1992 as a civil dispute. The State Arbitrary Court ordered the 18508 th army unit of the Soviet Union to reimburse 97,790 tugriks to Magsar’s company “Mon-Olz”. The Soviet army officials and victims have agreed and signed a paper stating that the Soviet side would provide nine apartments for Mon-Olz company. But apartments, like any other real estates were required to get registered in the City governor’s office before any company or private person possess an ownership paper. Following this procedure, the Soviet Army Officers sent a letter to Ulaanbaatar city mayor confirming that nine apartments with particular address were designated to Mon-Olz company as a reimbursement for the wrongdoings of the Soviet army unit.

“I thought that was the happy ending after my loss and a year-long struggle.” said Magsar. “But unfortunately, it was just the beginning of the next robbery”.

The next offender was not the Soviet entity, but the Ulaanbaatar City mayor’s office and Police. Magsar and other representatives of Mon-Olz company was beaten by police when they came to designated address to receive nine apartments that Soviet party gave to them.

“My husband wore glasses, he came to the apartments and knocked a door of one of nine apartments. He came there with a Russian officer and several female representatives of our company on October 20, 1992 to get the final reimbursement in person. But the flats were all occupied. My husband and the Russian officer knocked a door. Suddenly the door opened and we saw three drunk men coming from there. We did not know who they were. One of them suddenly got angry at us and beat my husband to his eyes. Later, we found out that they three were policemen.”

In short, the city mayor’s office did receive nine apartments from Soviet army unit but never gave them to Mon-Olz company. The city governor’s office did give those nine apartments to other citizens, mostly police families during 1993-1997. Mr.Enkhbold, the city governor, recently gave an official letter to Mon-Olz company noting that the city can not give any apartment to Mon-Olz company.

Russian and Mongolian governmental commissions are familiar with Magsar’s case for a long time and regard this case as solved. But Mon-Olz company is still unable to function since it lost its main means of production. “This company is the victim which was not handed any reimbursement yet. As a blind person with a sick wife, I was given a two-room apartment on December 31, 2003” told Magsar. “My eyes were good till I was beaten by that drunk policeman in 1992. After that I had lingering pain in my eyes for years and went through two operations till I became totally blind.”

Liberty Center asks you to write to Mr.Enkhbold, the governor of the capital city of Mongolia, urging him to deliver to Mon-Olz company nine apartments or the money enough to buy nine apartments. And you can copy your letters to Liberty Center.

Mr.Enkbold’s contacts: Mr.Enkhbold Miegombo,Governor of the Capital City and Mayor of Ulaanbaatar, Sukhbaatar district , Sukhbaatar square – 11, Ulaanbaatar, 210646. tel/fax: 976-11-327199, 976-11-324331, 976-11-322147.