Azimzhan Askarov

Azimzhan Askarov, the founder of the human rights group Vozdukh, is a Kyrgyzstani reporter and activist who fought for ethnic Uzbek human rights in his home country of Kyrgyzstan. Askarov worked as an independent journalist and reported on corruption and police brutality in the country. In June of 2010, Askarov was covering the rising conflict between ethnic Uzbek and Kyrgyz people in the Jalal-Abad region of Kyrgyzstan. While documenting the events, Askaraov was arrested and accused of inciting the crowd that killed a Kyrgyz police officer and sentenced to life in prison for his alleged crime. 

Askarov described inhumane conditions during his imprisonment including being denied medical care, frequent physical assault, and threats against his family by the police. Despite the severity of the sentence and numerous retrials, no evidence of Askarov’s involvement in his accused crimes has ever been provided. In 2016, the UN Human Rights Committee described the charges as unfounded with several other human rights organizations denouncing the charges against Askarov. The country has even gone so far as to terminate cooperative agreements with the U.S. after the latter bestowed the Human Rights Defender Award on Askarov. Askarov died in prison in 2020.