Azimzhan Askarov

Azimzhan Askarov (; 17 May 195125 July 2020) was a Kyrgyzstani political activist who founded the group Vozduh in 2002 to investigate police brutality. Of ethnic Uzbek descent,

He was subsequently arrested and prosecuted on charges of creating mass disturbances, incitement of ethnic hatred, and complicity in murder. Following a trial protested by several international human rights groups for irregularities—including alleged torture and the courtroom intimidation of witnesses by police—Askarov was given a life sentence, which he was serving. In November 2010, Askarov's health was reported to be rapidly deteriorating as a result of his confinement. Numerous groups advocated on his behalf, including Human Rights Watch, Reporters Without Borders, People In Need, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and Amnesty International, the latter of which designated him a prisoner of conscience.

In 2015, the U.S. conferred the 2014 Human Rights Defender Award on Askarov. The Kyrgyz government protested this decision and formally terminated a 1993 agreement on cooperation between the U.S. and Kyrgyzstan. On 12 July 2016, the Supreme Court of Kyrgyzstan revoked the life sentence against Askarov and sent his case to the Chui Oblast Court for review. He was resentenced for life on 24 January 2017. Following amendments to Kyrgyzstan's Criminal Code in 2017, which came into force in 2019, Askarov's lawyers applied for a review of his sentence. However, on 30 July 2019, the Chui regional court upheld the life sentence of Askarov. He died in prison in 2020.

Personal life Askarov was born on 17 May 1951, in the village Bazar-Korgon, Kyrgyzstan. He attended an arts college in Tashkent. After getting his degree, Askarov worked as a painter and decorator for 15 years. In the early 1990s, he began writing about human rights issues in a local newspaper. He was married to Hadicha Askarova and they had three sons.

Human rights work Askarov worked as a human rights activist since the mid-1990s. In 2002, he founded the group Vozduh ("Air") to monitor the conditions of Kyrgyz prisons. Working primarily in the area of Bazar-Korgon, Askarov directed this group until the time of his arrest and was able to initiate new investigations of several cases of police brutality and torture. Following the violence, dozens of Uzbek community and religious leaders were arrested by the Kyrgyzstani government and accused of inciting ethnic violence, among them Azimzhan Askarov, who had been filming killings and arson attacks during the riots.

He was arrested on 15 June 2010 in Bazar-Korgon. Kyrgyzstan's human rights ombudsman, Tursunbek Akun, protested the arrest shortly after.

Askarov was tried along with other human rights activists before a court in the Nooken District of the Jalal-Abad Province. The observer also stated that members of the trial's audience openly threatened and assaulted Askarov, other defendants, and their lawyers inside the courtroom, and that local law enforcement refused to intervene.

Askarov himself testified that he had been beaten and tortured while in police custody, Members of his family expressed concern that he was receiving inadequate care from prison authorities. On 11 April 2011, his appeal hearing was postponed for the second time.

Askarov's lawyer then said he would protest the Supreme Court's decision in the UN Human Rights Council; Askarov insisted on the review of his case in the Kyrgyz legislature. Following amendments to Kyrgyzstan's Criminal Code in 2017, which came into force in 2019, Askarov's lawyers applied for a review of his sentence. However, on 30 July 2019, the Chui regional court upheld the life sentence of Askarov.

International attention Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Front Line, International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR), His cause has also been championed by American actor Martin Sheen. The US Embassy in Bishkek also put pressure on the Kyrgyz government to hold "impartial hearings" on Askarov's appeal. Reporters Without Borders called for his immediate release.

On 8 March 2011, People In Need awarded him the Homo Homini Award "in recognition of a dedication to the promotion of human rights, democracy and non-violent solutions to political conflicts." The paintings focus on "the inhabitants of the Fergana valley and scenes from their everyday lives."

In 2012, Askarov won the International Press Freedom Award of the Committee to Protect Journalists. The award recognizes journalists who show courage in defending press freedom despite facing attacks, threats, or imprisonment.

In 2015, the U.S. conferred the 2014 Human Rights Defender Award on Askarov and Foro Penal, a Venezuelan non-governmental organization. In a press release announcing the award, the United States Department of State stated that Askarov had "documented acts of death and destruction during the interethnic violence in June 2010, before being himself arrested on charges connected to those events."

Death Askarov's body was transported from Kyrgyzstan to Uzbekistan for burial. Askarov died on 25 July 2020, one day after being hospitalized with pneumonia. He was 69, and suffered from a heart condition and other chronic illnesses in the time leading up to his death. He was buried in Tashkent Region, Uzbekistan, on 31 July. Prior to his death Askarov had requested to be buried in Uzbekistan. Moreover, his relatives feared that in Kyrgyzstan his grave would be a target for vandalism by Kyrgyz nationalists.

In 2022, Human Rights Watch raised concerns that an investigation into his death had not yet been concluded, stating that his death "remains a dark stain on Kyrgyzstan's human rights record, further marred by new deaths in custody in the Kyrgyz prison system."