On February 1, 2020, the Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center (SMHRIC) held an international conference entitled "Hada and Southern Mongolian National Liberation Movement" in the United States in honor of Mr. Hada's political ideology, moral courage and life-long pursuit of national self-determination. Regarded as a national hero by the Southern Mongolians, Mr. Hada is still under house arrest after serving a 15-year imprisonment followed by an additional 4-year extrajudicial detention for demanding the right to self-determination for Southern Mongolia and refusing to cooperate with the Chinese authorities.

The SMHRIC 2020 Human Rights Champion Award was bestowed to Mr. Hada for his extraordinary contribution to the pursuit of Southern Mongolian human rights and self-determination. On behalf of Mr. Hada, Mr. Dolgion Hatgin, President of the Inner Mongolia People's Party (IMPP) and a former member of the Southern Mongolian Democratic Alliance, accepted the award presented by the SMHRIC President Mr. Enghebatu Togochog.

Attended by Southern Mongolian freedom fighters, activists and supporters from Mongolia, Japan, Sweden, researchers and human rights observers from Amnesty International and Freedom's Herald, representatives from Tibet and East Turkistan, as well as community leaders of Buryat, Kalmyk and Hazara, the conference consisted of four panel discussions following the opening remarks by Enghebatu Togochog and the keynote speech by Dr. Sanj Altan.

The first panel "Voices from Homeland" presented the video interviews of Mr. Hada and his wife Xinna recorded in 2015, a video statement from Southern Mongolian herder Ms. Yanjindulam specifically made in support of the conference, and a written statement from a young Mongolian herder who escaped the Chinese persecution and came to the independent country of Mongolia.

In the second panel "Southern Mongolian Human Rights and Liberation Movement", Mr. Dolgion Hatgin, President of IMPP, Mr. G.Tsetsent, long time human rights defender and senior member of IMPP, and Mr. Munkhbayar Chuluundorj, writer, journalist and human rights activist from Mongolia presented their views and analysis on Hada and Southern Mongolian national liberation movement. A Japanese-English bilingual written statement from Mr. Kotaki Toru, writer, activist and editor of Japane-Mongolian bilingual jornal Minii Nutug from Japan, was read by Enghebatu Togochog. A video statement in Mongolian from Mr. Uchida Toshiyuki, Director of Office Mongolia, long time friend, supporter of Southern Mongolia and researcher from Japan, was presented to the panel.

Speakers of the third panel "United We Stand, Voice of Solidarity" included Mr. Ngawang Tharchin, President of Tibetan Youth Congress New York and New Jersey Areas, Mr. Ilshat Hassan Kokbore, Director of the China Affairs Department of World Uyghur Congress, Mr. James Zimmerman, Country Analyst (China) of Amnesty International, Mr. Jack Churchward, writer, researcher, human rights activist, and chief editor of Freedom's Herald, and Mr. Tumenulzei Buyanmend, board member of IMPP and Human Rights Watch Hellmann-Hammett Award winning writer.

In the fourth panel "Mongolia is No Small Nation", representatives from Kalmyk, Buryat, Hazara and the independent country of Mongolia including Ms. Dechen Kelden and Ms. Elzyata Sangadzhieva, co-founder and organizer of Kalmyk Youth Coalition, Mr. Akram Gizabi, President of World Hazara Council, Mr. Byambaakhuu Darinchuluun, President of Mongol Heritage Foundation, Ms. Darina Sanzhieva, Director of Buryat Association Inc., and manager of Altanseseg Band spoke on behalf of their respective communities to express their concern on Southern Mongolian human rights issues and show their solidarity with the Southern Mongolians in their struggle for national freedom.

Following the last panel discussion, a joint statement was made by a group of young Southern Mongolian activists from New York and Connecticut areas including Ms. Hunaa Borjigin, Mr. Araash Tseren, Ms. Altantsetseg Borjigin, and Ms. Dolgyon Hubduud. In the English-Mongolian bilingual joint statement, the group expressed their concerns on political prisoner, arbitrary arrest, freedom of speech, press and assembly, herders' right to their land and resources, and Mongolians' rights to use their native language in Southern Mongolia, and demanded the freedom for all political prisoners, their family members, writers, activists and herders who were either detained, imprisoned or placed under house arrest by the Chinese authorities without any legal justification. The group concluded their statement by urging the Chinese Government to stop all forms of political oppression, economic exploitation, environmental destruction and cultural eradication in Southern Mongolia.

"From our lively and passionate discussions, we see hope, optimism, determination, resilience and solidarity," Enghebatu Togochog said in the closing remarks, "I firmly believe one day Southern Mongolia, Tibet and East Turkistan will be free. Our brothers and sisters in other occupied territories and nations will be free."

 

Video clips of all speakers are available below: