Employees of the Gissar electric networks disconnected electricity in the home of another opposition activist’s mother. According to Farhod Odinaev, a few days ago, police and electric network department employees came to his mother’s house in the village of Turdibobo in Gissar and cut the electric wires. His mother has been without electricity for 4 […]
Employees of the Gissar electric networks disconnected electricity in the home of another opposition activist’s mother.
According to Farhod Odinaev, a few days ago, police and electric network department employees came to his mother’s house in the village of Turdibobo in Gissar and cut the electric wires. His mother has been without electricity for 4 days.
Farhod Odinaev, an opposition activist from Tajikistan living abroad, condemned these actions by the authorities.
“When we talk about problems, instead of addressing them, the authorities detain our close relatives. Recently, they have been using another method of pressure on us: leaving our loved ones without electricity and heat. We condemn these illegal actions and demand that the authorities stop persecuting our relatives,” said Farhod Odinaev.
This is not the first case of electricity being cut off in the homes of relatives of Tajik opposition activists.
It was previously reported that employees of the electric networks in the Farhor district disconnected electricity in the home of Sharofiddin Gadoev’s mother, the deputy of the opposition coalition National Alliance of Tajikistan.
Oishamo Abdulloeva stated that she has no debts for electricity and pays her bills on time every month. However, the electric network employees said: “Your son spoke in Germany, criticized the president, so this is an order from above.”
Oiysha Mirzoeva, the sister of the convicted general Ghaffor Mirzoev and stepmother of the chairman of the political movement “Group 24” Sukhrab Zafar, reported that employees of the electric network department in the Vose district cut off power to her home. According to her, they explained that “this is an order from above” and that she should address her complaints to the district leadership.
Another representative of the Tajik opposition abroad reported that the authorities cut off electricity to his relatives’ home in the Khatlon region.
The authorities have not commented on the disconnection of electricity to the relatives of opposition activists.
However, observers believe that the authorities are exerting pressure on the relatives of the opposition in response to protests and the egg-throwing incident at Emomali Rahmon’s convoy in Germany.
On September 28 and 29, the Tajik opposition organized protests in front of the Tajikistan Embassy in Germany and the German president’s residence in Berlin during President Emomali Rahmon’s visit to Germany.
During the protests, activists of the “Group 24” movement threw eggs at the Tajik president’s convoy, particularly at Emomali Rahmon’s car.
After these demonstrations, law enforcement agencies in Tajikistan began a wave of pressure, threats, insults, detentions, and abductions of people considered crimes under the country’s laws, targeting the relatives of opposition activists, especially participants in these protests. Even elderly people were detained, with some held in custody for 2-3 days.