URGENT ACTION: Call to Free Hada, Southern Mongolian Dissident

April 15, 2025       Comments Off on URGENT ACTION: Call to Free Hada, Southern Mongolian Dissident

We urge the Chinese government to immediately release Mr. Hada, a prominent Southern Mongolian dissident and long-time political prisoner. He has disappeared since February 6, 2025 following his hospitalization by Chinese authorities for an alleged “urgent medical condition.” His current whereabouts and well-being remain unknown. This latest development is part of a 30-year long persecution by the Chinese government in response to his unwavering advocacy for the rights of the Southern Mongolian people.

30 Years of Imprisonment, Secret Detention and Disappearance

In 1995, Hada was arrested and later sentenced to 15 years in prison on charges of “separatism and espionage.” Upon completing his sentence in 2010, instead of being freed, he was subjected to an additional four years of extrajudicial detention and has been under secret detention ever since in a place tightly guarded by the Chinese Public Security authorities. His works, including Way Out of Southern Mongolia and the underground journal Voice of Southern Mongolia, lay out his ideas on Southern Mongolian rights.

Family Implication and Ongoing Persecution

Hada’s wife, Xinna, and son, Uiles, have also endured relentless persecution for over 30 years. Both have been repeatedly accused, harassed, and imprisoned on trumped-up charges due to their outspoken criticism of the Chinese government’s mistreatment of their family and its broader human rights abuses in Southern Mongolia.

International Recognition and Call for Urgent Action

In recognition of his lifelong struggle for justice, Hada was nominated for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize by four Japanese parliament members, as well as U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and Congressman Chris Smith. His disappearance underscores the urgent need for international intervention. We call on human rights organizations, governments, and the global community to:

1. Demand immediate and unconditional disclosure of Hada’s whereabouts and well-being.
2. Pressure China to release Hada unconditionally and restore his family’s fundamental freedoms.
3. Hold the Chinese government accountable for its persecution and maltreatment of Hada and his family members over the past 30 years.

Join the Effort – Sign Your Name

We urge human rights organizations and defenders of freedom worldwide to join this urgent call for action by adding their names to this statement. By signing, you stand in solidarity with Hada and his family and reinforce the demand for justice, human rights and human dignity. To endorse this urgent action, kindly please add your organization’s name below:

SIGNED BY:

Elbegdorj Tsakhyiagiin, President of World Mongol Federation, Former President of Mongolia
Maya Wang, Associate China Director, Human Rights Watch
Erika Nguyen, Program Director, PEN America
Hanno Schedler, Advisor, Society for Threatened Peoples
Merce Monje Cano, Executive Director, Unrepresented Nations, and Peoples Organization
Zumretay Arkin, Vice President, World Uyghur Congress
Ivy Li, Spokesperson, Canadian Friends of Hong Kong
Zhou Fengsuo, Executive Director, Human Rights In China
Dr. Yang Jianli, President, Citizen Power Initiatives for China
Dr. Sanj Altan, President, Mongol American Cultural Association
Dr. Chuluu Ujiyediin, President, Chinggis Khan Memorial Foundation
Mandie McKeown, Executive Director, International Tibet Network
Aurora Chang, East Asian Regional Coordinator, International Tibet Network
Hidetoshi Ishii, President, Indo-Pacific Human Rights Information Center
Enghebatu Togochog, Director, Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center

And the following rights groups: