Mongolian police on Friday raided the office of a local news outlet in the country’s capital, Ulaanbaatar.
The raid on the Zarig news website came as authorities filed more serious charges against its editor-in-chief, Unurtsetseg Naran, who has been in custody since December 4.
Authorities initially arrested Unurtsetseg on accusations of spreading false information and contempt of court. She was ordered to be held in custody for one month, but a court in late December extended that period to two months.
Since then, her lawyer told VOA, authorities have added more serious charges, including allegedly conspiring with foreign intelligence organizations.
Unurtsetseg, who denies the charges against her, faces eight years in prison, said attorney Erkhembayar Purevdorj, who is representing the journalist.
Speaking with VOA around 10:30 p.m. local time Friday, Erkhembayar said the raid on the media outlet’s office was ongoing.
“It’s not necessary to raid the newsroom,” the lawyer said. “This action shows us that the law enforcement are not respecting human rights.”
Mongolia’s Washington embassy did not immediately reply to VOA’s email requesting comment.
The initial charges against Unurtsetseg, which her lawyer described as minor, related to a Facebook post in which the journalist had said it was inhumane to prolong the court hearing of an elderly individual, according to local reports.
International and Mongolian press freedom groups have called for Unurtsetseg to be released.
In a December statement, the International Federation of Journalists said it “urges the Mongolian authorities to release Unurtsetseg immediately, allow journalists in Mongolia to perform their work without interference, and ensure the press freedom and the freedom of speech is upheld.”
Unurtsetseg is known in Mongolia as a journalist who is not afraid to hold officials accountable.
While some say she has a brash “gotcha” style of journalism, others praised her investigative work, including coverage of companies that had defaulted on loans to the country’s Development Bank.
“She’s a national debt collector, and she saved Mongolia from failing to pay foreign debt bond payments,” Khaliun Bayartsogt, an independent journalist in Ulaanbaatar, told VOA.
While Unurtsetseg’s lawyer awaits details of Friday’s raid, he told VOA that for now the priority is securing Unurtsetseg’s release from pretrial detention.
