The protest situation in Gorno-Badakhshan is spreading throughout Tajikistan. The head of the region, Alisher Mirzonabot, was wounded in the capital of GBAO yesterday during a speech in front of protesters. MP Aziz Giyozoda was also hospitalized with serious bodily injuries. After that, a picket was held in Dushanbe near the UN building: young people stood with posters “Badakhshan is a part of Tajikistan” and “Criminals must be punished.” They were attacked by the natives of GBAO. They were separated from the police.
In Khorog itself, local residents have been protesting on Somoni Square for three days. From several hundred people their number increased to several thousand: the population of the surrounding villages joined the townspeople. The insurgents’ demands: remove military posts around the city, leaving only the traffic police posts, but the main thing is to conduct an investigation into the death of a resident of the village of Tavdem Gulbuddin Ziyobekov.
Let us remind you that on the morning of November 25, security officials came to Ziyobekov’s home and tried to detain him. He was accused of kidnapping the assistant prosecutor. This incident took place back in February 2020. Then Ziyobekov, together with his family and friends, kidnapped the assistant prosecutor Abdusalom Abirzoda and kept him for 8 hours, periodically beating him and demanding an apology for harassing his sister. There is even a video in which Abirzoda, surrounded by a crowd of men, asks for forgiveness from all residents of the autonomous region for his behavior. Since Ziyobekov did not appear before the investigators for interrogation, it was finally decided to bring him in by force. It all ended in a shootout, as a result of which the attacker and two of his friends were wounded. According to eyewitnesses, Ziyobekov was taken out of the house alive, put in a police car,
The body of the native of Gorno-Badakhshan was not allowed to be taken out: the killed was brought to the square and a meeting was held. After the dispersal of which, two bodies turned out to be on the square: during the shooting on the square, another young native of the region, 21-year-old Tutisho Aslishoev, was killed. Five law enforcement officers were also injured. On Saturday, another attempt was made to establish a dialogue “with the square”: the head of the region, Alisher Mirzonabot, came out to the protesters. He said that a commission has been created that is conducting a thorough investigation into the death of Ziyobekov. In response, stones were thrown towards the official. Moreover, as the organizers of the rally say, they themselves do not know who these attackers were. On the eve, everyone was asked to refrain from provocations. “We were standing next to him, several masked young men started throwing stones. We were also hit by stones. A scuffle has begun some tried to get hold of the chairman and take him out to the protesters again … ”, the organizers said. On Sunday, Abdullo Navjuvonov, head of the Sughd Region Ministry of Internal Affairs, arrived in the rebellious region. It was decided to conduct a joint investigation. “We will have our own commission, which will work in the investigation group and report the results to the protesters.” – one of the activists told the local newspaper. One of the demands of the protesters: not to touch those who participated in the attack on the head of the region and the police. Will it now be possible to extinguish the incipient fire, or will there be attempts to rock the situation again? It was decided to conduct a joint investigation. “We will have our own commission, which will work in the investigation group and report the results to the protesters.” – one of the activists told the local newspaper. One of the demands of the protesters: not to touch those who participated in the attack on the head of the region and the police. Will it now be possible to extinguish the incipient fire, or will there be attempts to rock the situation again? It was decided to conduct a joint investigation. “We will have our own commission, which will work in the investigation group and report the results to the protesters.” – one of the activists told the local newspaper. One of the demands of the protesters: not to touch those who participated in the attack on the head of the region and the police. Will it now be possible to extinguish the incipient fire, or will there be attempts to rock the situation again?
