Azimjon Askarov, an ethnic Uzbek from southern Kyrgyzstan, was the director of a regional human rights organisation called Vozdukh (Air) (Photo: Nurbek Toktakunov/Committee to Protect Journalists)

Kyrgyzstan cannot paper over death of Azimjon Askarov

The death of the award-winning journalist and human rights defender Azimjon Askarov on 25 July in a Kyrgyz jail was the culmination of a series of injustices and repeated flouting of accountability by the Kyrgyz government.

His death – officially by pneumonia but probably of Covid-19 – is no reason to give up the fight for justice.

On the contrary, it has become even more crucia...

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The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author’s, not those of EUobserver

Anders L. Pettersson is executive director of Civil Rights Defenders, where Muzaffar Suleymanov is Eurasia Programme Officer.

Azimjon Askarov, an ethnic Uzbek from southern Kyrgyzstan, was the director of a regional human rights organisation called Vozdukh (Air) (Photo: Nurbek Toktakunov/Committee to Protect Journalists)

Anders L. Pettersson is executive director of Civil Rights Defenders, where Muzaffar Suleymanov is Eurasia Programme Officer.

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