The Committee against Torture today concluded its consideration of the third periodic report of Mongolia. Committee Experts commended Mongolia for its commitment to abolishing the death penalty, while raising questions on the State’s interrogation rooms and extradition agreements.

Huawen Liu, Committee Expert and Co-Rapporteur, said the Committee commended Mongolia for its commitment to abolishing the death penalty by ratifying and upholding the obligations under the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Naoko Maeda, Vice-Chairperson and Co-Rapporteur, said the Committee welcomed the efforts of the State party to ensure interrogation rooms had closed-circuit televisions and video and audio equipment to ensure that interrogations were recorded; and that recordings were kept for at least six months. What was the State party’s strategy to ensure that equipment for recording interrogation was available throughout the country? Mr. Liu also asked if the State party could respond to reports that video recordings of interrogations, in practice, were deleted after 14 days.

Ms. Maeda also asked what kinds of elements were considered as risks of torture in extradition agreements. How was the right to appeal to courts against deportation, extradition or expulsion orders guaranteed? Could Mongolia inform of any extradition agreements concluded with other States parties?

The delegation said the police department had equipped 849 interrogation rooms to comply with the standards required, including for lighting and ventilation. Surveillance records were required to be kept for three to six months. The State was currently reviewing this process, with the aim to keep surveillance videos from between six months to one year. There was a clear need to increase the number of interrogation rooms.

The delegation also said Mongolia had concluded several multilateral and bilateral extradition agreements. Sixteen agreements had been concluded on bilateral cases. The State took into account the risk of torture when coming to a final decision of extradition. During 2024, five extradition requests had been received from foreign countries. One request was denied. Mongolia had put forward 16 requests to other countries, of which six were satisfied and the rest were denied or remained without any answer.

Introducing the report, N. Myagmar, State Secretary, Ministry of Justice and Home Affairs and head of the delegation, said Mongolia had achieved several major milestones since the report was submitted. The Law on the National Human Rights Commission had been revised in line with the Paris Principles to ensure the Commission’s independent status, sufficient financial resources and to ensure it could act efficiently to resolve complaints of torture, and to establish the National Preventive Mechanism. The rule on the conditions of detention facilities addressed hot and cold water supply, sewerage systems, natural light, ventilation, sanitary and hygiene and essential infrastructure required to sustain a healthy and safe environment for detainees.

In closing remarks, Claude Heller, Committee Chairperson, thanked the delegation for engaging in the dialogue with a constructive spirit. The Committee had a follow-up procedure, which aimed to continue to facilitate a dialogue between Mongolia and the Committee.

In his closing remarks, Mr. Myagmar said the Committee’s recommendations had great importance and would serve to ensure the fulfilment of Mongolia commitments within the framework of the Convention.

The delegation of Mongolia consisted of representatives from the Ministry of Justice and Home Affairs; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Protection; the Independent Authority against Corruption; the General Prosecutors Office; the General Executive Agency of Court Decision; the National Police Agency; the General Intelligence Agency; the Immigration Agency; and the Permanent Mission of Mongolia to the United Nations Office at Geneva.

The Committee will issue concluding observations on the report of Mongolia at the end of its eighty-first session on 22 November. Those and other documents relating to the Committee’s work, including reports submitted by States parties, will be available on the session’s webpage. Summaries of the public meetings of the Committee can be found here, and webcasts of the public meetings can be found here.

The Committee will next meet in public on Thursday, 14 November to commemorate the fortieth anniversary of the adoption of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

Report

The Committee has before it the third periodic report of Mongolia (CAT/C/MNG/3).