The human rights movement “One World (Bir Duino)” appealed to President Sadyr Japarov and the Ombudsman regarding the need to conduct urgent, comprehensive investigations into the deaths of citizens under investigation and serving sentences in closed institutions of the Kyrgyz Republic.
According to human rights activists, new cases of extrajudicial executions in closed institutions in Kyrgyzstan are caused by impunity for law enforcement officers, officials, judges, lack of access to fair justice and investigation.
“The death statistics of prisoners in the institutions of the State Penitentiary Service say that people die in prisons, deprived of the fundamental right to life. The state, convicting a person, deprives him/her of his/her freedom, but must guarantee his/her life and safety,” human rights activists emphasize.
They give an example of the tragic death of political scientist Marat Kazakpaev and human rights activist Azimzhan Askarov, who have been deprived of timely, quality medical care.
Since 2010, the human rights movement has been fighting for the release and protection of the rights of human rights activist and prisoner of conscience Azimzhan Askarov. For 11 years, human rights activists and lawyers have taken part in more than 49 trials in his case. Unfortunately, on July 25, 2020, Azimzhan Askarov died in colony No.47, without access to timely and high-quality medical care, without waiting for justice and freedom.
“Today, thousands of other victims continue to remain in prisons, unjustly convicted, sick, slowly dying, with no hope of release. In this regard, we believe that the Nelson Mandela Rules, which guarantee standards of respect for the rights of prisoners, should be observed in Kyrgyzstan. It’s necessary to apply alternative punishment measures to the sick, old and vulnerable people in closed institutions of the Kyrgyz Republic and to conduct independent investigations of all cases of death in prisons. The impunity of officials, who violate the laws of Kyrgyzstan, is unacceptable,” the human rights activists wrote in their appeal.
