// Photo by BYAMBASUREN BYAMBA-OCHIR/AFP via Getty Images
Despite constant attempts at suppression by the Chinese authorities, the internet has remained one of the few places where Mongolians in Southern Mongolia could freely express themselves in their native language, share music and literature, and communicate with each other, as noted in a recent report.
The report, prepared by PEN America and the Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center, claims that the Chinese government is actively suppressing the Mongolian language and culture online, dismantling important digital communities that supported the uniqueness of the Mongolian people.
According to a study titled "Save Our Native Language," about 89% of known Mongolian cultural websites have been censored or shut down. Restrictions have also affected online communities, including the popular Mongolian-language app Bainu. The report mentions the policy of "One Province, One Newspaper, One Client," which allows state media to launch their own apps and push out independent platforms created by Mongolian developers, as stated in the report by Genocide Watch.
Soembo Borjigin, a journalist from Southern Mongolia who now lives in exile in New York, witnessed the closure of the newspaper "Inner Mongolia," where he worked, and spent a month in a re-education class. He is currently trying to draw attention to what he calls "systematic cultural repression."
“When the government banned the study of the Mongolian language in schools, the internet became the last free space for our people. This means that the Chinese authorities intend to destroy all places where Mongolians could speak their native language, share music, and discuss their history. Mongolian songs are being removed from apps, such as 'Let's Be Mongolians' and 'I Am Mongolian,' which have been erased,” Soembo Borjigin said in an interview with Tech24.
“In my native area, people cannot discuss anything in Mongolian. All spaces dedicated to the Mongolian language have disappeared,” he added.
PEN America and the Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center are calling on tech companies and international organizations to take action to protect Mongolian culture online.
“We urge tech companies and social media to implement the concept of cultural rights protection when creating their platforms, fulfill their human rights obligations, and collaborate with independent organizations to support affected Mongolian communities,” said Lizl Gerntholtz, managing director of the PEN America PEN/Barbey Center for Free Expression, as quoted in the report.
Translation: MiddleAsianNews
