Mongolia has been lauded for its efforts to contain the coronavirus despite having a long, porous border with China. As of 23 September, there had been 313 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and no deaths. However, there appears to be no publicly available information indicating the impact of the virus on migrants or asylum seekers, or […]
Last updated:
From the Working Group on Arbitray Detention, report on visit to Mongolia, 5 July 2023:
E. Detention in the context of migration
27. The Working Group was pleased to learn that there is no practice of systemic detention in the context of migration in Mongolia. The Working Group was informed that only seven foreign nationals had been detained in 2022 because of breaching their visa conditions and that no one was being held at the immigration detention facility during its visit. It was also informed that there is a presumption against detention, especially against the detention of families, women and children, which is highly commendable.
28. The Working Group also notes the current provisions of the Law on the Legal Status of Foreign Nationals, specifying a maximum upper limit for detention in the immigration context in law. Under article 36.6, the law permits detention ordered by a judge for a period of up to 14 days, which can be extended, once, by a period of up to 30 days based on the proposal by the State administrative body in charge of foreign nationals. The Working Group recalls the importance of ensuring that immigration detention facilities are located in different premises from criminal justice facilities.
29. Since the announcement of partial mobilization in the Russian Federation on 21 September 2022, there has been a large influx of Russian citizens to Mongolia. Noting that there are no visa requirements for Russian citizens to enter Mongolia for periods up to 30 days, people have been able to arrive freely and some special arrangements have been put in place to assist them with the legalization of their status after the initial 30-day period, including arrangements for different types of visas and even temporary residence permits. No Russian citizens have been detained in the context of this recent situation. The Working Group lauds the approach adopted by the Government in this regard.
DETENTION STATISTICS
DETENTION CAPACITY
ALTERNATIVES TO DETENTION
ADDITIONAL ENFORCEMENT DATA
PRISON DATA
POPULATION DATA
LEGAL & REGULATORY FRAMEWORK
GROUNDS FOR DETENTION
DETENTION INSTITUTIONS
PROCEDURAL STANDARDS & SAFEGUARDS
COSTS & OUTSOURCING
COVID-19 DATA
TRANSPARENCY
MONITORING
NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS MONITORING BODIES
NATIONAL PREVENTIVE MECHANISMS (OPTIONAL PROTOCOL TO UN CONVENTION AGAINST TORTURE)
NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATIONS (NGOs)
GOVERNMENTAL MONITORING BODIES
INTERNATIONAL TREATIES & TREATY BODIES
International Treaties Ratified
Ratification Year
Observation Date
OP ICESCR, Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
2010
2018
CTOCSP, Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime
2008
2017
CTOCTP, Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children
2008
2017
ICPED, International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance
2015
2017
CAT, Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
2002
2017
Ratio of relevant international treaties ratified
Ratio: 14/19
Individual Complaints Procedures
Acceptance Year
ICESCR, Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, 2008
2010
2010
CRC, [Third] Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child establishing a communications procedure, 2011
2015
2015
CEDAW, Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, 1999
2002
2002
Relevant Recommendations or Observations Issued by Treaty Bodies
Recommendation Year
Observation Date
Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
§ 16. The State party take effective measures to fully guarantee the rights of asylum seekers, refugees and stateless persons to access health care, education and employment services, without discrimination. The Committee encourages the State party to ratify the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol. § 18. The State party increase its efforts to enforce its legislation to prohibit forced or compulsory labour and provide protection for migrant workers, notably by taking effective measures to fully guarantee their rights to access health care, education and employment services, without discrimination. It also recommends that the State party establish effective monitoring and inspection mechanisms to combat substandard working and living conditions for migrant workers to ensure that they enjoy the same working conditions as Mongolians and that they meet the international standards set forth in the Labour Inspection Convention, 1947 (No. 81), the Labour Inspection (Agriculture) Convention, 1969 (No. 129), the Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189) and the Migrant Workers (Supplementary Provisions) Convention, 1975 (No. 143) of the International Labour Organization.
2019
2019
Committee on the Rights of the Child
§ 64. "The Committee reiterates its recommendation (CRC/C/15/Add.264, para. 57) to the State party to ratify the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol r) that the State party, taking into account article 22 and other relevant provisions of the Convention, take all feasible measures to ensure full protection and care, as well as access to health, social services and education, of asylum-seeking and refugee children in the State party r) the establishment of a database to obtain disaggregated data on asylum-seeking and refugee children and to guide a comprehensive policy r) that the State party ratify the CMW."
2010
2010
Committee against Torture
Non-refoulement
35. The Committee is concerned that, while chapters 46 and 47 of the Code of Criminal Procedure regulating the extradition of foreign citizens or stateless persons who have committed crimes or have been sentenced to punishments in the territory of a foreign country provide for grounds for refusing extradition, they do not cover instances related to sufficient grounds to consider the risk of torture and that bilateral and multilateral extradition agreements concluded by the State party may not respect the principle of non- refoulement (arts. 2, 3 and 16).
...
36. The State party should:
(a) Take effective legislative, judicial and administrative measures to comply with its obligations regarding non-refoulement under article 3 of the Convention;
(b) Ensure that legislation that deals with the deportation of foreign citizens allows for appeals to courts against deportation orders to have a suspensive effect;
(c) Ensure that no person is expelled, returned or extradited to countries where there are substantial grounds for believing that he or she would be in danger of being subjected to torture;
(d) Ensure that the bilateral and multilateral extradition agreements concluded by the State party respect the principle of non-refoulement;
(e) Consider acceding to the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its Protocol.
...
43. The Committee invites the State party to ratify the core United Nations human rights treaties to which it is not yet party, namely, the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families and the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.
2016
2016
> UN Special Procedures
Relevant Recommendations or Observations by UN Special Procedures
Recommendation Year
Observation Date
Working Group on arbitrary detention
E. Detention in the context of migration
27. The Working Group was pleased to learn that there is no practice of systemic detention in the context of migration in Mongolia. The Working Group was informed that only seven foreign nationals had been detained in 2022 because of breaching their visa conditions and that no one was being held at the immigration detention facility during its visit. It was also informed that there is a presumption against detention, especially against the detention of families, women and children, which is highly commendable.
28. The Working Group also notes the current provisions of the Law on the Legal Status of Foreign Nationals, specifying a maximum upper limit for detention in the immigration context in law. Under article 36.6, the law permits detention ordered by a judge for a period of up to 14 days, which can be extended, once, by a period of up to 30 days based on the proposal by the State administrative body in charge of foreign nationals. The Working Group recalls the importance of ensuring that immigration detention facilities are located in different premises from criminal justice facilities.
29. Since the announcement of partial mobilization in the Russian Federation on 21 September 2022, there has been a large influx of Russian citizens to Mongolia. Noting that there are no visa requirements for Russian citizens to enter Mongolia for periods up to 30 days, people have been able to arrive freely and some special arrangements have been put in place to assist them with the legalization of their status after the initial 30-day period, including arrangements for different types of visas and even temporary residence permits. No Russian citizens have been detained in the context of this recent situation. The Working Group lauds the approach adopted by the Government in this regard.
2023
2023
2023
> UN Universal Periodic Review
REGIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS MECHANISMS
HEALTH CARE PROVISION
HEALTH IMPACTS
COVID-19
Country Updates
Mongolia has been lauded for its efforts to contain the coronavirus despite having a long, porous border with China. As of 23 September, there had been 313 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and no deaths. However, there appears to be no publicly available information indicating the impact of the virus on migrants or asylum seekers, or whether people in detention or prisons were given additional safeguards to prevent the spread of the disease.
The Law of Mongolia on the Legal Status of Foreign Nationals provides that foreign nationals can be detained for immigration-related offences, and that detention centres are to be established in the capital city and/or at border checkpoints. The rules of operation for these detention centers are to be approved by a Member of Cabinet in charge of justice in consultation with the State Prosecutor. However, little information is publicly available regarding the treatment of migrants or asylum seekers in immigration enforcement procedures in the country.
The Mongolian constitution guarantees the right to seek asylum; however, the Child Education Institute of Mongolia and the Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion report that protection is “poor and the law permits the Agency for Foreign Citizens and Naturalization (the country’s immigration agency) to deport failed asylum seekers.” In addition, refugees reportedly do not have access to necessary services such as health care and education, nor the right to work. In its 2020 UPR submission on Mongolia to the Human Rights Council, Amnesty International recommended that the country ratify the UN Refugee Convention.
Because of its long border with China, Mongolia has long been seen as being particularly vulnerable to human trafficking activities. These concerns have grown as the country’s demand for cheap labour for its mining industry has increased. According to the 2020 U.S. Trafficking in Persons Report, while there have been positive developments in the government’s identification of victims and prosecution of traffickers, there remain gaps in its ability to identify foreign or male victims, establish standard identification or referral procedures, and investigate cases of labour exploitation.
