Kyrgyzstan: In support of human rights defender Azimzhan Askarov, whose case is up for appeal
25/10/10 l Download text of NGO appeal l русский l Back to News
Brussels 25 October 2010. With the appeal hearing in the case of human rights defender Azimzhan Askarov set to begin today in the Jalal-Abad regional court in southern Kyrgyzstan, the International Partnership for Human Rights repeat its call for a fair and impartial review of his case. In mid-September, a local court sentenced Askarov to lifetime imprisonment for his alleged role in events that took place during the inter-ethnic clashes of the summer and resulted in the death of a police officer. There are serious concerns about the fairness of the trial, which was conducted in an openly hostile atmosphere against Askarov and his co-defendants. There is also reason to believe that the charges against him are politically motivated and aimed at punishing him for his human rights work.
A coalition of human rights NGOs from Kyrgyzstan has issued a joint appeal in support of Askarov, who was one of the first human rights defenders to start working in the conflict area in southern Kyrgyzstan in June this year and who documented numerous cases of ethnically motivated violence and human rights violations related to the conflict. His colleagues and partners ask for a fair review of his case, expressing fear that the appeal court may uphold the sentence against him without examining the substance of the charges against him. They point out that Askarov was charged with complicity in the murder of a police officer only on the basis of witness accounts of individuals involved in the case and that no material evidence to date has been presented to prove his guilt. They also emphasize that the process against Askarov has not only been characterized by procedural violations but also been accompanied by pressure against defense witnesses, threats against his lawyers, and attacks against his relatives. They request that the authorities of Kyrgyzstan provide information about the measures taken to investigate the complaints about due process and other violations in this case, as well as the allegations that Askarov was beaten in pre-trial detention.
Read the full text of the NGO appeal in English, in Russian. The organizations that have signed the appeal include Citizens against Corruption, Voice of Freedom, Justice, the Coalition for Democracy and Civil Society, the Chintamani Fund, the Media Policy Institute, the Open Position Fund, and others.
Previous appeals by the IPHR and Citizens against Corruption on the case against Askarov can be found here and here. On broader developments in the aftermath of the inter-ethnic violence of the summer in Kyrgyzstan, see also a statement by the IPHR, Citizens against Corruption and Fiery Hearts Club on arbitrary detentions, police brutality and other unlawful and abusive actions, as well as an IPHR open letter on recent threats and pressure against a human rights NGO working in the southern part of the country.
Brussels 25 October 2010. With the appeal hearing in the case of human rights defender Azimzhan Askarov set to begin today in the Jalal-Abad regional court in southern Kyrgyzstan, the International Partnership for Human Rights repeat its call for a fair and impartial review of his case. In mid-September, a local court sentenced Askarov to lifetime imprisonment for his alleged role in events that took place during the inter-ethnic clashes of the summer and resulted in the death of a police officer. There are serious concerns about the fairness of the trial, which was conducted in an openly hostile atmosphere against Askarov and his co-defendants. There is also reason to believe that the charges against him are politically motivated and aimed at punishing him for his human rights work.
A coalition of human rights NGOs from Kyrgyzstan has issued a joint appeal in support of Askarov, who was one of the first human rights defenders to start working in the conflict area in southern Kyrgyzstan in June this year and who documented numerous cases of ethnically motivated violence and human rights violations related to the conflict. His colleagues and partners ask for a fair review of his case, expressing fear that the appeal court may uphold the sentence against him without examining the substance of the charges against him. They point out that Askarov was charged with complicity in the murder of a police officer only on the basis of witness accounts of individuals involved in the case and that no material evidence to date has been presented to prove his guilt. They also emphasize that the process against Askarov has not only been characterized by procedural violations but also been accompanied by pressure against defense witnesses, threats against his lawyers, and attacks against his relatives. They request that the authorities of Kyrgyzstan provide information about the measures taken to investigate the complaints about due process and other violations in this case, as well as the allegations that Askarov was beaten in pre-trial detention.
Read the full text of the NGO appeal in English, in Russian. The organizations that have signed the appeal include Citizens against Corruption, Voice of Freedom, Justice, the Coalition for Democracy and Civil Society, the Chintamani Fund, the Media Policy Institute, the Open Position Fund, and others.
Previous appeals by the IPHR and Citizens against Corruption on the case against Askarov can be found here and here. On broader developments in the aftermath of the inter-ethnic violence of the summer in Kyrgyzstan, see also a statement by the IPHR, Citizens against Corruption and Fiery Hearts Club on arbitrary detentions, police brutality and other unlawful and abusive actions, as well as an IPHR open letter on recent threats and pressure against a human rights NGO working in the southern part of the country.
