Kyrgyz official urged to address Askarov case

By Muzaffar Suleymanov/CPJ Europe and Central Asia Research Associate Kyrgyzstan has endured a turbulent past and continues to face significant challenges, but its leaders are committed to a democratic future, Djoomart Otorbayev, the nation's deputy prime minister, told human rights and press freedom advocates in New York this week. The country still grapples with the repercussions of the brutal June 2010 ethnic conflict that left hundreds dead and thousands displaced. Journalist Azimjon Askarov remains in prison on charges that CPJ and numerous human rights groups have determined to be in retaliation for his work in uncovering official abuses during the unrest. Otorbayev said the ethnic tensions spiraled out of control because of the disintegration of police and other key state agencies following two popular uprisings, in 2005 and 2010, that ousted the corrupt regimes of Askar Akayev and Kurmanbek Bakiyev. Authorities, he said, are working hard to learn from their mistakes to build a democratic country where the "rights of an individual will be above all" and ethnic minorities will be treated equally. He said Kyrgyzstan is open to recommendations from international groups, including from the human rights community. "State agencies will be rated on their compliance with [external] recommendations, and if they fail to succeed implementing them, their top officials will be removed from the offices," said Otorbayev, describing a new government initiative. He fielded questions from representatives of CPJ, Human Rights Watch, the Open Society Foundations, Columbia University, and the discussion's host, the U.S. government-funded Freedom House. The attendees asked about disputes in Kyrgyzstan's gold mining industry, the prospects of regional economic development, accountability for the June 2010 ethnic violence, and the government's plans to incorporate ethnic minorities into public life. Continue reading online.

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