Relic from the Soviet Past

Above is a pic taken from the Global International third floor balcony of what has been known as the Lenin Museum which housed many documents and other items authored or owned by Vladimir Lenin who with Trotsky helped found the Communist Party in Russia and who was primarily responsible for the revolution of 1917 which toppled the Tsar Nicholas regime.  Last year when I was here this museum was little used but still in existence.  When I went over there this time I found the building closed and gutted as anti-thetical to a democratic society.  To the immediate right of this building and out of sight is the ger that I have shown earlier.

Now the even better news!  With the return of the stolen Tarbosaurus dinosaur from Texas to Mongolia, the government has announced that the building will be turned into a dinosaur museum to house this 70 million year-old treasure along with other smaller dinosaurs and a full nest of dinosaur eggs and other such items from the Cretaceous period.  When I inquired as to when this transformation will occur, it was explained that their President, just recently elected, is in a fight with the Parliament over the necessary funding to make this happen with some doubt as to whether or ever it will get done.  How could a democratic society be at such odds within itself as to not be able to finance something that a President might want to do?  Hmmm.

But I digress.  Today I gave a seminar to working reporters on how to persist in gaining access to government documents as permitted by the new FOI law here.  One of the reporters seemed to know me from last year and she did look familiar to me also.  It turned out that it was Boloorma, the reporter convicted of criminal defamation last year for her story on a sex slave ring in the UB which she alleged was financed by a Member of Parliament.  She interviewed 3 slaves but after her story broke the three recanted their statements and she did not tape their original statements. Here the defendant has the burden of proving the truth of her story and she was unable to do so. After conviction she was fined about $5000 U.S. money which, of course, she cannot pay.  After the seminar she and I conferred and she explained that she has petitioned the President to "forgive" the fine as unpayable but, no action has yet occurred.  I have suggested that GI send a supporting letter and I might ask the International Senior Lawyer Project to do the same. She also told me that she cannot leave the country until she pays the fine or it is forgiven. We shall see. If you look at my blog last year you will see her pic and my earlier comments on her dilemma.  She was convicted just before I arrived in 2012.  And so it goes...