Ten years have passed since the murder of Umarali Kuvvatov

Ten years have passed since the murder of Umarali Kuvvatov, the founder and former leader of the political movement “Group 24”.

Kuvvatov was shot dead on the night of March 5, 2015, at the age of 47 in Istanbul, Turkey.

According to information on the official website of the “Group 24” movement, that day the opposition figure was invited to dinner at the home of Sulaymon Kayumov along with his wife and children. During the dinner, all family members felt unwell, after which Kuvvatov hurried to take his wife and children outside for fresh air to get them to the hospital. It later turned out that the food had been poisoned, and his wife and children were hospitalized.

It is reported that around 10:30 PM, while the family was outside, an unknown assailant approached from behind and shot Kuvvatov in the head. He died on the spot. The attacker fled the scene.

According to Turkish investigative authorities, a group of killers, all citizens of Tajikistan, had been preparing for this crime for three months and were monitoring Kuvvatov’s movements.

Sulaymon Kayumov, the owner of the house and a key figure in this assassination, attempted to flee to Kazakhstan but was detained at the airport at the request of the Turkish police and extradited to Istanbul.

In February 2016, a court in Istanbul found Kayumov guilty of Kuvvatov’s murder and sentenced him to life imprisonment. Two of his accomplices were also detained, but it is believed that several other co-conspirators have fled to Russia.

Critics of the current regime in Tajikistan believe that despite holding some perpetrators accountable, the masterminds behind the murder remain unpunished. They are allegedly connected to the highest echelons of power in Tajikistan and are close to President Emomali Rahmon.

Even Kumriniso Jabborova, Kuvvatov’s widow, later stated: “It can be confidently said that members of the president’s family are behind this, including his son-in-law Shamsullo Sokhibov.”

The political movement “Group 24” called this murder a continuation of a series of political crimes committed by Emomali Rahmon’s regime to maintain power. The organization claims that the crime, committed on the territory of another state, constitutes an act of terrorism or even a state terrorist attack.

However, the authorities of Tajikistan have previously denied any involvement in Kuvvatov’s murder and, on the contrary, accused him of economic crimes and extremist activities.

It is worth noting that in the past, Umarali Kuvvatov was a successful businessman and had business relations with Shamsullo Sokhibov, the president’s son-in-law. However, later his business was seized.

After that, Kuvvatov left the country in 2012 and founded the political movement “Group 24” in Moscow. He was a vocal critic of Emomali Rahmon’s policies. The organization held rallies involving Tajik migrants in cities across Russia and called on the residents of Tajikistan to protest in the center of Dushanbe.

In October 2014, the Supreme Court of Tajikistan banned the activities of “Group 24,” declaring it an extremist organization.

Kuvatov himself was detained in 2013 in Dubai, and then in December 2014 in Istanbul at the request of Tajikistan through Interpol. However, he was never extradited to Dushanbe.

After his murder, his wife and children were granted asylum in one of the Western countries, and his followers continue their activities within the movement he founded.