Chairman of the District Court of Khatlon Region Exceeded Authority

An internal investigation has begun in the Supreme Court of Tajikistan regarding the actions of the chairman of the Shamsiddin Shohin district court in the Khatlon region, who is suspected of beating a border guard.

Zokhir Muminzoda, the chairman of the Sh. Shohin district court, is suspected of having struck a border guard several times on July 8 at the “Darai Ob” checkpoint after the guard requested identification from his companion. It is not possible to obtain Muminzoda’s opinion.

Judges have immunity, so according to a source from Radio Ozodi in the Khatlon court, the Supreme Court is currently conducting an internal review, and if Muminzoda’s guilt is established, his information will be forwarded to the president of the country for dismissal from his position. It is also possible that the prosecution will investigate the case.

According to a source who wished to remain anonymous, the conflict between the serviceman Firuz Atovulloev and the court chairman began when the border guard asked the person accompanying the judge to present a passport at the checkpoint. “The judge claims that it was the soldier who hit him, but the video shows that it was exactly the opposite. A final decision on this incident has not yet been made,” the source in the regional court reported. The “Darai Ob” checkpoint, where the incident occurred, is located on the border with Afghanistan and is the first checkpoint from the Khatlon region to GBAO.

“For some time now, border guards have not been allowing anyone to pass through the checkpoints without identification documents. The chairman of the Shamsiddin Shohin district court approached the checkpoint with a companion and only presented his passport. When the serviceman asked Muminzoda’s companion for his document, he did not present it, and the court chairman got out of the car and struck the soldier several times with his fist. The border guard was injured, and other servicemen came to his aid. It is unknown whether a case has been initiated against the judge,” said the interlocutor.

Another source from the border unit in the Shamsiddin Shohin district confirmed the information about the incident, adding that after the soldier was beaten, they reported it to the Main Department of Border Troops of the State National Security Committee of Tajikistan. According to the source, by order of the head of this department, the serviceman underwent a forensic medical examination.

The fact of the soldier’s beating was recorded by surveillance cameras. The video shows Zokhir Muminzoda getting out of the car and delivering several punches to the serviceman. The border crossing in the Shamsiddin Shohin district is located on the border with Afghanistan and is considered the gateway to GBAO. Individuals heading to GBAO and the Shamsiddin Shohin district are granted permission to cross only upon presenting a passport.

Zokhir Muminzoda was appointed by the president of the country as the chairman of the Shamsiddin Shohin district court in 2017. Prior to that, he held the position of a judge in the Khatlon regional court.