UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Mary Lawlor wrote on Twitter that no effective investigation into the death of a well-known human rights activist Azimzhan Askarov has yet been carried out.
In December 2021, the State Committee for National Security, which is in charge of the case on the death of Azimzhan Askarov, sent an instruction to the Investigation Department of the State Penitentiary Service to interrogate key witnesses.
«These are the cellmates of Azimzhan Askarov, doctors and former press secretary of the department Samat Kylykov. The latter stated that the convict was fine. The human rights activist died a few days later. The order is still being executed by the Penitentiary Service. There is not even an interim report,» the lawyers noted.
Azimzhan Askarov died in hospital of the prison colony No. 47 on July 25, 2020. According to the conclusion of the medical examination, his death was caused by acute respiratory failure. The criminal investigation into the death of the human rights activist was resumed in September 2021. First, the State Penitentiary Service conducted the investigation, and then the case was sent to the State Committee for National Security.
