Representatives of civil society in GBAO issued a statement

The statement emphasizes that the rights of citizens in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region are grossly violated, and law enforcement officials are engaged in extrajudicial reprisals.

Photo: Internet

Representatives of civil society in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region issued a statement saying that the law is the same for everyone and those responsible for the murder of three people and the injury of several others in Khorog must be identified and held accountable.

In their video address, representatives of civil society in Gorno-Badakhshan criticized the negligence of the authorities and condemned human rights violations during the events of November 25-28 in the Roshtkala district and the city of Khorog.

The statement notes that during a law enforcement operation in the Roshtkala district, in addition to the murder of Gulbidin Ziyobekov, two other residents of the district were injured and became disabled for life.

Also, during the protests in Ismoil Somoni Square in Khorog, security forces opened fire on the protesters, resulting in 17 injuries, two of whom died within the first few days.

“In the film ‘The Power of Law’, shown by the authorities on television, only the issue of holding accountable those who beat law enforcement officers is discussed, while nothing is said about holding accountable those responsible for the murder of two people and the injury of 15 others as a result of the shooting,” the statement reads.

Before leaving the central square of Khorog, civil society and protesters presented the authorities with the following demands:

— To promptly investigate the case regarding the death during the detention of a 29-year-old local resident and those who fired at peaceful citizens;

— To absolve the participants of the protest from responsibility;

— To withdraw 60-70% of the military currently in Khorog and instead enlist local residents for military service;

— To remove checkpoints in Khorog;

— To disband the Interagency Headquarters for Ensuring Order and Legality in the region;

— To replace the head of the region;

— To dismiss the head of the State National Security Committee of the region.

— To restore internet access and communication in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region.

The main demands of the representatives of the government of the Republic of Tajikistan were as follows:

— To immediately restore traffic on the international highway Kulma-Khorog-Dushanbe;

— The protesters must leave Ismoil Somoni Square in Khorog and disperse to their homes.

“Operational search activities must be conducted only in accordance with the requirements of the Law of the Republic of Tajikistan ‘On Operational Search Activities’. If someone commits a crime, only the court has the right to punish them, not the police, the State National Security Committee, or the General Prosecutor’s Office. In Tajikistan, only courts have the right to impose punishment, not other bodies,” the statement emphasizes.

Activists of civil society highlighted in their statement that in Tajikistan, official permission must be obtained from the relevant authorities for hunting rabbits or deer and for fishing, however, in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, people hold no value, which is why they are shot without trial or investigation.