By 
GHRD Research Team
by Kindel Media, retrieved from Pexels, 4 May 2021
In 2015, geologist Mohammad Munshi was jailed in Mongolia after being found guilty of fraud following a flawed trial. After enduring torture and harsh treatment in prison, he was released in 2024, but he is still stuck in Mongolia as authorities refuse to let him leave the country, in violation of his human rights.
Mohammed Munshi is an Australian-British geologist and businessman who has been stuck in Mongolia for over a decade. His ordeal began in 2015 when he worked as a geologist for Gobi Coal and Energy Limited Company. At the time, he had been the company’s chairman geologist for years and had the opportunity to travel around Asia before settling in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
In March 2015, he was investigated by the Mongolian police and forced to stay at home for two years until he faced a two-day trial in 2017. The trial, which was not in conformity with fair procedures, found Mohammed guilty of fraud and sentenced him to eleven years imprisonment. This sentencing was later reduced to seven years thanks to Munshi’s Australian lawyer’s arguments that such strict sentencing was an attempt to intimidate the defendant and went against the Mongolian Criminal Code.
Mohammed alleges enduring torture and inhumane treatment while in detention. His descriptions highlight outstanding human rights violations, including torture and isolation. Accordingly, he spent more than two years in solitary confinement; then, he was forced to share a small cell with several other prisoners. Furthermore, he was only allowed one shower every two weeks, and his bed, too small for an adult, lacked pillows. In addition, he could receive one visitor every week for thirty minutes, while longer visits were only allowed every 120 days.
According to Mohammed’s testimony, the food provided inside the prison did not meet nutrition standards, seriously harming the prisoners’ health. Strikingly, violence was not limited to the prison, as Mohammed reports that threats were also made against his family in China, forcing them to leave Beijing and flee to Australia.
Mohammed Munshi, who is now 57, was released from prison in June 2024 but hasn’t been able to leave Mongolia yet as he has been subjected to an unjustified travel ban, breaching his right to free movement and his right to rejoin his family (Medium, 2025).
Currently, Muhammed Munshi is appealing to the United Nations Human Rights Council and various UN Special Rapporteurs for assistance in returning home. He is also receiving help from the Australian Government.
It is interesting to note how the first proceedings conducted between Australia and Mongolia were held according to arbitration rules of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (jusmundi, 2024).
International support for Muhammed’s cause also comes from former British MP John Grogan and Heretic Law partner Alison Battisson, who are advocating for the Australian and British governments to intervene and facilitate his return (ABC Net, 2025).
Sources and further readings:
Morris, K. (presenter) (2025, January 13) [Audio podcast]. Radio National Breakfast.
Mohammed Munshi v The State of Mongolia (III), Composition of the Tribunal, Jus Mundi,
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