Retrial for jailed ethnic Uzbek activist starts in Kyrgyzstan
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 4 October 2016 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Retrial for jailed ethnic Uzbek activist starts in Kyrgyzstan, 4 October 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5975a06cc.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Last Updated: October 04, 2016
Azimjan Askarov in court on October 4
A Kyrgyz court has begun a retrial for ethnic Uzbek activist Azimjan Askarov, who had been jailed for life in a case that has drawn international criticism.
Askarov was sentenced in 2010 for stirring up ethnic hatred during deadly clashes between ethnic Kyrgyz and Uzbeks and of complicity in the death of a policeman during the violence.
The Supreme Court revoked the sentence in July and sent the case back to a lower court for review in light of "new circumstances that appeared in the case."
Askarov, who says the case against him was politically motivated, pleaded not guilty to the charges as hearings opened at the Chui Regional Court in Bishkek on October 4.
The court ordered him to remain in custody pending investigations.
Earlier this year, the UN Human Rights Committee urged Kyrgyzstan to release Askarov, finding that he had been arbitrarily detained, tortured, and denied his right to a fair trial.
More than 450 people were killed – most of them ethnic Uzbeks – and tens of thousands of people fled their homes in the 2010 ethnic violence in southern Kyrgyzstan.
With reporting by AP
Link to original story on RFE/RL website