Azimjon Askarov

Two wrongs don’t make a right: a decade after violence exploded in Kyrgyzstan’s south, Azimzhan Askarov remains in jail.

After a decade in jail and repeated international calls for his release, ethnic Uzbek human rights activist Azimjan Askarov remains behind bars in Kyrgyzstan.

Askarov’s case illustrates a series of deep, intertwined, divides in Kyrgyzstan.

Askarov's last retrial, in 2017, ended with his return to jail on a life sentence. Will things be different this time around?

A Bishkek court upheld the human rights defender's life sentence.

The Askarov case dredges up sensitive subjects and shines a critical light on Central Asia's “island of democracy.”

The organization's annual human rights conference has become the focus point for frustration.

Also Uzbek militants and Tajikistan forgot the insulin; weekend reads.

Meanwhile, UN Human Rights Committee reaffirms call for Askarov’s release.

The court overturned Azimjon Askarov’s life sentence but sent his case back to the oblast for a retrial; no release.

In Kyrgyzstan, a flashpoint case puts the country’s judicial system and political progress on display.