“Commission 44”: If activist Saidbekov is not released, a protest will take place in Khorog.

Civil activists from the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region reported that police officers detained Iftikhor Saidbekov, one of the members of “Commission 44”. The incident occurred on March 10 at a traffic police post in the Tirchid neighborhood of Khorog.

Photo: Internet

Human rights defender Faromuz Irgashev, a member of “Commission 44”, told Radio Ozodi on March 11 that Iftikhor Saidbekov was detained at the traffic police post while he was going about his business. He was beaten by police officers.

According to Irgashev, “Commission 44” demanded the immediate release of Saidbekov in a letter to the leaders of GBAO and the city of Khorog, threatening to organize a protest in the city center if their demand was not met.

Civil activists view Saidbekov’s detention as pressure from local authorities on “Commission 44”.

However, the regional Interior Ministry claims that Saidbekov “began to insult the police officers at the traffic police post out of hooligan motives”.

Faromuz Irgashev also reported that in the past few days, law enforcement officers in Khorog have detained 7 local residents who collaborated with “Commission 44”.

The situation in Khorog escalated on November 25 of last year when a resident of the Roshtkala district, Gulbiddin Ziyobekov, was killed during a security operation. Residents held a protest outside the regional administration building in Khorog.

To stabilize the situation in the region, “Commission 44” was established at the end of November after negotiations between representatives of civil society and the authorities. After that, protests in Khorog came to an end.

The protesters dispersed only after the authorities promised to meet all their demands. However, residents report that the authorities have not fulfilled any of their promises.