Mysterious death of a citizen of Tajikistan after returning from Germany

A 29-year-old citizen of Tajikistan, who had lived for several years in Germany, died under mysterious circumstances after returning to Dushanbe.

According to sources from Azda.tv, Saidazam Rahmonov left for Germany in 2018 and lived in Frankfurt. In 2022, he officially applied for asylum and married a German citizen.

It is reported that he contacted the German migration service to obtain a residence permit. According to our sources, Rahmonov was told that he needed to return to Tajikistan and apply at the German embassy for a visa to reunite with his wife. Although Rahmonov claimed that returning to Tajikistan was unsafe for him, the migration authorities apparently did not believe him.

Several months ago, he returned to Tajikistan, submitted the necessary documents to the German embassy, and was waiting for his visa. On October 6, when Rahmonov was about to fly to Russia for the wedding of a close friend, he was detained by officers of the State Committee for National Security of Tajikistan (SCNS) right at Dushanbe airport and taken away in an unknown direction.

On October 13, Rahmonov’s relatives were informed that he allegedly committed suicide. According to sources close to the case, the body of the deceased was buried under strict control of SCNS officers. Close relatives were only allowed to see his face; all other parts of the body were covered, and relatives were not permitted to uncover them.

Azda.tv obtained a video showing one of the relatives trying to film the body on a mobile phone, but a man in civilian clothes, presumably a law enforcement officer, forbids her from filming and says, “Don’t do that, sister.”

Sources from Azda.tv claim that Rahmonov was tortured and likely died as a result of abuse. The reason for his detention was cited as having a beard and suspicion of membership in the “Salafism” movement.

It is also reported that the deceased’s wife, a German citizen, contacted the German Embassy in Dushanbe demanding an investigation and to establish the true cause of her husband’s death.

Authorities have not yet made any official statements regarding this case, and the relatives of the deceased have also not publicly commented on the incident.

The incident occurred against the backdrop of growing complaints in recent years about torture, arbitrary detentions, and pressure on citizens returning from abroad.