Mongol Activist Hada in Critical Condition After Years of Imprisonment

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Hada, the Mongol activist, has been under house arrest in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region by Chinese authorities. On January 30, it was reported that he was urgently transported to a hospital in Hohhot, the regional capital. The Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center (SMHRIC), based in the United States, provided this information.

The 69-year-old activist leads the Southern Mongolian Democratic Alliance and has long advocated for greater autonomy for Southern Mongolia. He was nominated for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize by Japanese lawmakers.

Multiple Organ Failure

SMHRIC released photos that appear to show Hada wearing an oxygen mask and lying in an intensive care unit. Another showed a close-up of his thigh, which showed purple bruises believed to be from beatings.

According to Hada's wife, Chinese health authorities informed her on January 25 that his condition was critical. He was barely conscious by the time she visited him in the ICU. His condition is suspected to involve multiple organ failure, but the Chinese authorities have not disclosed the exact cause.

Hada has advocated for Southern Mongolia's right to self-determination, a right guaranteed by China's constitution, since the 1980s. He was arrested in 1995 and, despite serving his prison sentence, has remained under house arrest ever since.

'Nelson Mandela of Southern Mongolia'

Deprived of his freedom for 30 years, Hada continued his peaceful resistance. He is often referred to as the "Nelson Mandela of Southern Mongolia."

Four lawmakers from Japan's ruling and opposition parties, including the Liberal Democratic Party's Hiroshi Yamada and the Conservative Party of Japan's Yoichi Shimada, nominated Hada for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize. The Norwegian Nobel Committee officially accepted his nomination on January 26.

On February 1, the Southern Mongolia Congress, a group that has protested Beijing's persecution of ethnic minorities, issued a statement condemning the Chinese government. They called for Hada to receive proper medical treatment free of charge and demanded an end to his house arrest.

In a similar case, Chinese writer and human rights activist Liu Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010 while imprisoned. He was granted parole after being diagnosed with liver cancer in 2017 but died a few weeks later.