Since its turn towards democracy in 1990, Mongolia has in principle acknowledged the concept of human and civic rights. "Human rights law," according to one human-rights organization, "is a rapidly expanding area in the Mongolian legal system." In September 2000, Mongolia unilaterally adopted the so-called "Millennium Goal 9", which is "to strengthen human rights and foster democratic governance." Writing in 2012 in the Jakarta Post, the secretary-general of the Indonesian Community who "led the first demonstrations for democracy and reforms in Mongolia," stated that "the passion for freedom and human rights" is "palpable in his being." Addressing an audience at the Asia Society in New York in 2011, Elbegdorj Tsakhia said: "Freedom, human rights, justice, the rule of law, those values can be enjoyed, even by the poor people, even by poor herdsman in Mongolia." The desire for human rights, he said, "is always there," in all people. "Sometimes that desire can be crushed by tyranny. But it will rise again. That is Mongolia."
Yet despite Mongolia's economic and social progress since the end of Communism, the "heritage from the old totalitarian regime," according to one observer, "is a negative influence on the realization of human rights in Mongolia." Official abuse of power is widespread, and law-enforcement officers "do not adequately respect the security and liberty of the people." While the media report frequently on human-rights violations, "most people, except lawyers and professors, have no systematic knowledge on human rights to be able to properly appreciate the news on human rights....People begin to see the real meaning of human rights only after suffering injustice."
A report by the UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights Mongolia indicated in December 2012 that while Mongolia "is currently experiencing a major resource boom and the country is on the brink of one of the most dramatic transformations in its history," with the mining of mineral wealth and foreign investment "expected to triple the national economy by 2020," the country "ranks disappointingly among the worse countries in the international human development index (110 out of 187 according to the 2011 Human Development Index)."
Among the serious human-rights problems that face Mongolia, especially within the police and security sector, are the abuse of prisoners by police, uneven law enforcement, poor prison conditions, arbitrary arrest, excessively long periods of pretrial detention, judicial corruption, lack of media independence, government secrecy, domestic violence, and trafficking in persons. Discrimination "on the basis of ethnic origin, language, race, age, sex, social origin, or status" is forbidden, and there is official sexual equality "in political, economic, social, cultural fields, and family." Increasing attention has been paid recently to the human-rights impact of the rapid expansion of the mining industry in Mongolia, which in many cases has had a deleterious impact upon the environment of traditional herders and therefore upon their everyday lives and occupational prospects.
Basic rights
In Mongolia, basic human rights are constitutionally guaranteed, with the country being a signatory to various international treaties. The 1992 Constitution ensures freedom of speech, assembly, and religion, as well as the right to a fair trial and the protection from discrimination. However, challenges remain in practice, particularly regarding the treatment of minorities and issues related to press freedom. Mongolia has made strides in strengthening its human rights framework through cooperation with international bodies, including the European Union. In recent developments, the 23rd meeting of the Mongolia–EU Joint Committee, held on 4 April 2025, emphasized the importance of human rights dialogue, which includes monitoring and improving these rights as part of broader developmental goals.
While there is freedom of speech and of the press, "insulting" is a crime, and the government attempts to pressure and silence the news media in various ways. Although censorship is illegal, many journalists engage in self-censorship out of fear of reprisal by the government or by their employers. Although Mongolian law guarantees a right to privacy, the government often intrudes into the privacy of its opponents, journalists, and others, by tapping phones and breaking into e-mail accounts.
In 2009, most of the television stations in Ulaanbaatar signed an "agreement" with the Media Office of the General Policy Authority in which they effectively submitted to a degree of government oversight over their content in return for "protection". Newspapers have been fined for defamation of the government, and libel charges against and tax investigations of the news media are common. In libel cases, the burden of proof is on the defendant. Many journalists are corrupt, moreover, and will invent news stories in exchange for a payment.
Although the government does not restrict Internet access, it does monitor certain persons' e-mails. Academic freedom and cultural freedom are respected, as are the freedom of assembly and association. Mongolians are free to move within the country, travel abroad, move abroad and move back from abroad. Foreigners living in Mongolia must obtain exit visas in order to leave the country. Elections are relatively free and fair. There are 17 registered political parties, which are able to conduct their activities freely.
Abolition of capital punishment
On 14 January 2010, the country's President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj announced that he would, henceforth, systematically use his prerogative to pardon all people sentenced to death. He stated that most countries in the world had abolished the death penalty, and Mongolia should follow their example. He suggested that the capital punishment would be commuted to a thirty-year prison sentence. The decision was controversial; when President Elbegdorj announced it in Parliament, MPP representatives chose not to give the applause customarily due after a presidential speech. (See: Capital punishment in Mongolia)
President Elbegdorj stated "Capital punishment is wrong–it degrades human dignity. It brings no peace to society. It does not deter crime and does not lift up mankind," in his speech at the High-Level Meeting on the Rule of Law of the 67th session of the United Nations General Assembly on 24 September 2012. "By ratifying the Second Optional Protocol Mongolia would add yet one more country in the world community to fully abolish the death penalty. Pardoning a life does not mean pardoning a penalty. The punishment for serious and cruel felonies must be severe, and must be just. However, I do not think it is just to deprive any citizens of life in the name of state. The right to life is one of the fundamental rights of a human being and cannot depend on anyone, not even on the head of state. The state should respect very fundamental human rights, and secure them by law," President Elbegdorj pointed out in his greeting to the delegation of the 5th international meeting of Justice Ministers on 18 May 2010.
Four months after President Elbegdorj's announcement of moratorium of death penalty by his pardon, a survey was conducted among Mongolian legal academics asking whether it is right or wrong to abolish death penalty in Mongolia. 83% of the survey participants responded that it was wrong. They criticized "By pardoning death row inmates, the Mongolian President directly interferes in criminal procedures. Nobody has the right to change court rulings." According to Article 33.1.8 of the Constitution, the Mongolian president has the prerogative "to grant pardon." Some academics and critics considered that it is too early and wrong to abolish death penalty in Mongolia, explaining that murder crimes are becoming too brutal and severe since the death penalty would not be implemented.
Despite much criticism from domestic conservative politicians, the opposition, and critics, President Elbegdorj's decision was positively received internationally. Amnesty International noted "President Elbegdorj's actions demonstrate commitment to the protection of human rights and set a good example for other Asian countries in the region," on 18 February 2010. International organization "Hands off Cain" awarded Elbegdorj with "Abolitionist of the Year 2011" noting Mongolia as an example that fosters the right to life among Asian countries.
Finally, in January 2012, Mongolian Parliament amended a law to join the 2nd Optional Protocol to the Convention on Civil and Political Rights; making Mongolia a state party to the convention and reinforcing the country's commitment to the abolition of capital punishment.
Institutionalized corruption
Corruption is a major problem throughout the Mongolian government and law enforcement, and there is insufficient oversight by either official agencies or the independent media. Also, the immunity of parliament members from prosecution encourages corruption and shields offenders from punishment.
Public debate on issues is inhibited by the fact that much government decision-making takes place behind closed doors. There is no provision for the disclosure of government information to the public, and the State Secrets Law is strong and comprehensive.
In Transparency International's 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index, which scored 180 countries on a scale from 0 ("highly corrupt") to 100 ("very clean"), Mongolia scored 33. When ranked by score, Mongolia ranked 114th among the 180 countries in the Index, where the country ranked first is perceived to have the most honest public sector. For comparison with regional scores, the best score among the countries of the Asia Pacific region was 84, the average score was 44 and the worst score was 16. For comparison with worldwide scores, the best score was 90 (ranked 1), the average score was 43, and the worst score was 8 (ranked 180).
"I sincerely believe that the true enemy of democracy and freedom is corruption... The worst theft is corruption which damages people's common rights and liberties... I am convinced that fighting corruption must be one of the most important duties of the Mongolian State today," President Elbegdorj noted in 2012. In September 2009 Elbegdorj replaced the Community Council of Independent Authority Against Corruption (IAAC) formed by former President Nambaryn Enkhbayar which included sports and music stars and supreme clergy while expressing his dissatisfaction with its investigation of petty corruption instead of political level corruption. He then reorganized the council with professional lawyers.
Government corruption and the abuse of power by police have a deleterious effect on the right to engage freely in public debate. There have been several instances of police violence or arbitrary conduct in recent years involving opposition politicians, journalists, or protesters, among them: