Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) issued the following statement today on the condition and legal status of the former president of Mongolia, Nambaryn Enkhbayar:

“I am pleased President Enkhbayar has been released on bail so he can receive the medical treatment he so desperately needs. It is my hope he will be able to clear his name from the so-called corruption charges and continue his campaign for election to the parliament.

“Under the leadership of President Enkhbayar, Mongolia saw substantial democratic gains and the signing of a Millennium Challenge Corporation pact with the United States. It has been deeply troubling to follow the way in which he has been treated: summarily detained and unable to see his lawyers or family members in private on a regular basis. He has not been convicted of anything and the allegations against him have been deemed by one of his attorneys to be ‘insubstantial, stale and petty.’

“Mongolia is a nascent democracy, and for any democracy, due process and the rule of law are essential. In my view, the former president’s jailing was to prevent him from running for parliament, and I am hopeful that he is well enough to continue his campaign.”

Senator Feinstein has met with President Enkhbayar in Mongolia and the United States in previous years. Feinstein is in active discussions about Enkhbayar’s legal status and medical condition with the Office of the Vice President, the State Department, former U.S. Ambassador to Mongolia Mark C. Minton and John L. Thornton, chairman of the Brookings Institution board of directors and a human rights activist.

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