(New York) - The Mongolian minister of justice should overturn a state agency's decision to deny the official registration request of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Center, a national nongovernmental organization, Human Rights Watch said in a public letter today. The center cannot operate in the country without this registration.
On June 23, 2009, the agency said that it was refusing the request because the name of the center "has a meaning that conflicts with Mongolian customs and traditions and has the potential to set the wrong example for youth and adolescents." In its letter, Human Rights Watch asked the Mongolian minister of justice and home affairs to protect human rights of all persons in Mongolia and uphold the rights to freedom of association, to freedom of expression, and to equality and nondiscrimination.
