REVISED LAW ON OFFENCE TO BE PREPARED FOR FINAL READING

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ During its plenary session on April 28, Friday, Parliament continued the reading of revised law on Offence, and the bill was transferred to Parliamentary Standing committee on Legal Affairs for preparation for the final reading. During the Friday session, the Parliament voted on 85 suggestions and proposals made by the working group which prepared the bill for reading and the Standing committee on Legal Affairs. In addition to covering other offences, the revised law on Offence comprises a controversial clause on defamation and the amount of fine to be imposed on the offences of libeling or slandering of character. During a Parliamentary Standing committee meeting on April 25, Member of Parliament Ts.Garamjav proposed to increase the fine 5 times and earned an approval, leading to protest by media organizations. On April 27, Member of Parliament Ts.Garamjav withdrew her proposal, and President Ts.Elbegdorj participated in the first reading of the bill and stated that the defamation clause should be dropped from the bill. However, the defamation clause remains in the bill, and the fine is MNT 2 million for an individual and MNT 20 million for legal entities. The revised law on Offence was thus transferred to Parliamentary Standing committee on Legal Affairs for preparation for the final reading. Kh.Aminaa