Several women and children based NGOs in Mongolia have asked delegates of the 13th Annual Meeting of the Asia Pacific Forum on National Human Rights Institutions in Kuala Lumpur to voice their concerns over the murder of Altantuya Shariibuu.
The NGOs said it will demand for all necessary measures, including the review of relations between Mongolia and Malaysia, if the justice system fails to review and resolve the murder case of the Mongolian woman, based on the principle of fairness.
The NGOs include the Network of Mongolian Human Rights NGOs, Network of Mongolian Child rights NGOs and Network of Mongolian women's rights NGOs, all based in Ulanbaataar.
In a statement issued to delegates at the meeting via one of their representatives, the NGOs said that in this era of globalisation, democracy, human rights and justice have become the most important issues in any country.
Two years ago, in this country (Malaysia) that is currently hosting the well-known Forum on National Human Rights Institutions, government agents who allegedly used "military equipment, firearms and explosives" have carefully planned and murdered Altantuya, a mother of two children.
The way she was murdered was not heard of in the history of humanity. Altantuya was purportedly blown to pieces with plastic explosives in a jungle clearing in Kuala Lumpur. Court hearing has taken place for over a year, however, important evidence were excluded, claimed the NGOs.
The issue of explosives and firearms to kill the woman, and who ordered the killing, were questions which were deliberately not asked in court. Since day one of this serious crime, the Mongolian Government and human rights organisations in Mongolia have repeatedly sent requests and notices to its Malaysian counterparts.
However, until today there was not a single response. Currently, this case is being politicised in Mongolia and politicians are exploiting these allegations for their benefit, while the real perpetrators of the murder (unknown until now, although Malaysia's deputy prime minister Najib Tun Razak's closest friend and political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda and two of Najib's personal aides when the murder took place, are now facing trial in court).
The NGOs urged the Malaysian authorities to decide whether they want to extend assistance to Altantuya's young children (the youngest is suffering from brain disease and the deceased's father has initiated a civil suit to demand compensation for the child's deteriorating condition).
The children are under such hardship, said the NGOs, that their situation is only comparable to those who suffered in the horrible Tsunami disaster.
"Now it is the single opportunity for Malaysia to remedy this situation," added the NGOs in the statement. The NGOs also called on the participants of the APF-NHRIs Forum to join their voices in solidarity and to call for justice to prevail in this case.
