Court releases journalist T. Shinebayar from detention under a restriction order

A district court in Ulaanbaatar on October 16 replaced the pre-trial detention of journalist T. Shinebayar, editor of the Dens.mn website, with a restriction order, releasing the journalist from custody.

According to a summary published by the court, a judge had earlier ordered T. Shinebayar's detention at the request of the Capital City Prosecutor's Office, and the defendant's lawyer filed a complaint against that order with the chief judge. B. Khaliun, chief judge of the District Criminal and Civil Simplified Procedure Court of First Instance, reviewed the complaint from 4 p.m. and, citing the defendant's health, replaced the detention with a restriction order. The summary says the decision has taken effect.

Background

T. Shinebayar was arrested for 48 hours in the early hours of October 10 following a complaint by Ts. Ganzorig, head of the Press Office of the Office of the President, and was then placed in detention for 30 days at the prosecutor's request (ubn.mn). His detention prompted public debate about press freedom, and organizations including the Confederation of Mongolian Journalists objected and demanded an explanation. The Office of the President had earlier said that T. Shinebayar spread false information.

Despite the release, the case has not been decided, and T. Shinebayar remains under investigation as a defendant. A restriction order allows a defendant to stay out of custody while a court limits their movement or certain activities.

Reaction on X

News of the ruling spread quickly on X. Even before the decision, some users had said they opposed the detention.

Prosecutor's challenge in B. Baatar case rejected

On the same day, ikon.mn reported that chief judge B. Khaliun had rejected a prosecutor's challenge to the release of B. Baatar, director of Hero Entertainment. B. Baatar had been placed in detention for one month from October 5, but on October 14, at the lawyers' request, he was released under a restriction on leaving Ulaanbaatar. The prosecutor asked for B. Baatar to be returned to custody, but the chief judge found the original ruling legally sound.