Photo: Alisher Siddiq / commons.wikimedia.org
Azimjan Askarov
Photo: Alisher Siddiq / commons.wikimedia.org
In Kyrgyzstan died a human rights activist Azimjan Askarov, who was sentenced to life in prison on charges of inciting ethnic hatred, organizing mass riots in the city and complicity in the murder of a police officer during the conflict in Osh and Jalal-Abad in southern Kyrgyzstan in 2010. Askarov died in the hospital of correctional colony N47 Bishkek.
The human rights defender’s lawyer Valerian Vakhitov in an interview to “Radio Azattyk” reported that last saw his client on 22 July, when she visited him in prison N19. “Brought him, or rather, brought to the hands of two employees of the enterprises. We spoke through a glass partition via telephone. He was very sick, he even could not walk”, – said Vakhitov.
According to him, Askarov was making a wheezy sound and “barely breathing”, complained that it is difficult to sits. “I’m not a doctor, but it was immediately clear that he is useless, he is very skinny,” said the lawyer. Vakhitov in a statement to the head of the colony demanded a human rights activist for urgent medical examination.
Since the beginning of the pandemic coronavirus defenders twice appealed to the leadership of Kyrgyzstan with a request to release the 69-year-old Askarov. The last time the human rights movement “bir Duino Kyrgyzstan” has sent a request July 10.
“The last visit to him, before the start of the pandemic, showed that he lost a lot of weight. A. Askarov said that he had a bad freezing feet, can not do anything, not help, no socks, shoes and warm. He can not long stand, in the eyes appear “creepy” and dizzy. Can’t sleep, cough and nightmares, wakes up usually at 4 am. Sometimes sharply rising and falling body temperature, and he begins to sweat. He has trouble breathing, has chest pain,” – said in a statement. Human rights activists noted that the condition was aggravated by Askarov applied to him the torture and inhuman treatment.
In a press-service of the State service of execution of punishments (SSEP) then denied information about the deteriorating health of Mr Askarov and said that in prison there are all conditions. “There are doctors, there are medications. Everything is under control. There is established a camcorder every move is recorded”, – quotes the edition of the SSEP Kloop.
On 24 July, after a visit of a lawyer, Mr Askarov was taken to the hospital. The prison service said that the human rights activist had previously applied to the medical unit with complaints of weakness and fever. “After survey by medical workers him several times it was recommended inpatient treatment in a medical correctional institution N47 Bishkek, which Askarov A. flatly refused,” – said on the website of the service.
In a press release about the death of Mr Askarov reported that he was forcibly transferred to a special stage in the hospital where he was preliminarily diagnosed with “community acquired right-sided pneumonia”. The human rights activist was connected to an oxygen concentrate, but, according to the SSEP, “strongly resisted and independently tore the mask”.
According to the SSEP, on the morning of 25 July, he again disconnected the oxygen concentrate, and an hour later died. Final cause of death will be determined after the autopsy and forensic examinations. The Ministry added that among the “inmates” of officially registered cases of infection COVID-19 is not fixed, “however, there are isolated cases of pneumonia.”
It is also noted that Askarov had a number of diseases: coronary heart disease, atherosclerotic cardiosclerosis, atherosclerosis of coronary vessels and cerebral vessels, discirculatory encephalopathy of mixed origin, and several chronic diseases: cholecystitis and pyelonephritis of the left kidney.
Azimjan Askarov headed the human rights organization “Air” and was known by the investigations of torture by the police. During the ethnic clashes between Kyrgyz and Uzbeks in southern Kyrgyzstan in June 2010, which resulted in the killing about 470 people, Askarov documented the violence and looting.
He was detained on 15 June 2010, two days after that, as in the clashes was killed by a police officer Myktybek Sulaimanov. In addition to rendering charges were brought against seven people. The prosecution mainly relied on the testimony of police officers. The lawyers insisted that the charges Askarov were fabricated, and claimed that he had an alibi proving that he was not at the scene.
Askarov’s colleagues called his trial a revenge on the part of police and prosecutors. In September 2010, the court sentenced the human rights defender to life imprisonment, he not pleaded guilty. Other defendants in the case received sentences ranging from four years to life. In November of the same year it was reported the brutal beating of Askarov. In 2016, the UN Committee on human rights concluded that Askarov was subjected to torture and were deprived of the right to health care and equitable justice and urged the Kyrgyz authorities to review the case.
Thereafter, the Supreme court of the Republic held a re-trial, but left the sentence unchanged. All subsequent attempts to overturn the verdict were not successful. In support of Askarov was made by local and international human rights activists and organizations.
In 2015 Askarov became a laureate of the U.S. state Department “human rights Defender”, with the result that Kyrgyzstan unilaterally denounced the intergovernmental cooperation agreement with the USA signed by the two countries in 1993. The agreement provided for the exemption from rates, taxes, charges and fees of goods or other property related to the implementation of programs, American humanitarian assistance, and public and private organizations involved in the implementation of these programs.