On April 20, Mongolians are marking the 56th anniversary of the birth of S.Zorig, who is officially known as the father of Mongolia’s democratic revolution. Earlier today, the leaders of the Democratic Party and S.Zorig’s relatives paid tribute at his monument outside the party building in central Ulaanbaatar, where they laid wreaths.

As the socialist bloc began to disintegrate, culminating in the end of the Soviet Union in 1991, democracy was only achieved in some countries, through bloody revolution an struggle. Mongolia was unique in achieving a full transition from centralised communist government to democracy peacefully, without a drop of blood being spilt. The peaceful transition took place in 1990. Many people have said that this achievement  was the result of S.Zorig’s positive role and wisdom. At a huge demonstration on Sukhbaatar square, he told the crowd: “We should not be influenced by provocation. Our main purpose is peaceful protest. Democracy requires tolerance”.

S.Zorig’s former comrades have said if S.Zorig he had been alive, the disorder of 1 July 2008 would probably not have occurred. On that day, following claims of election rigging, there was chaos in central Ulaanbaatar: the police, backed by armoured vehicles clashed with the demonstrators  and live ammunition was fired and four were killed; many were injured and others arrested in imprisoned.

Sadly, S.Zorig had died ten years before these events occurred, which he could have probably prevented. The DP won majority seats in the Great State Khural (parliament), in the 1996 general election. In the new government, S.Zorig was appointed infrastructure minister and was generally tipped to be prime minister. But, this was not to be: on 2 October 1998 he was stabbed to death at his home in the Zaisan district  of the capital.

Last year, Ts.Amgalanbaatar, B.Sodnomdarjaa and T.Chimgee were sentenced to 24-25 years imprisonment for brutally murdering S.Zorig. However, his wife, B.Bulgan, has been extensively  questioned as aa defendant in the case. According to the prosecutor, new material evidence related to B.Bulgan has been revealed.