Kyrgyzstan’s rights activist Azimzhan Askarov dies at 69

MOSCOW (AP) — Azimzhan Askarov, a human rights defender in Kyrgyzstan who was serving a life term on charges of involvement in ethnic violence that were widely criticized as trumped-up, has died. He was 69. Leading international human rights organizations have repeatedly urged the Central Asian nation to release Askarov, noting his deteriorating health. Kyrgyzstan’s state penitentiary service said Askarov died Saturday in a prison clinic, a day after he was hospitalized with pneumoni