The Ministry of Internal Affairs is trying to cover for its employees

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Tajikistan, in a statement published on July 26, 2023, responded to the public outcry by denying the involvement of traffic police officers in the fatal accident in the Abdurakhmon Jomi area. 

The press center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Tajikistan, commenting on the horrific traffic accident in the Abdurakhmon Jomi area, noted that 6 people died in the accident.

“As a result of this accident, the driver and 5 passengers died. 2 other passengers of this vehicle: Mengikulov Jurabek Ochildievich, born in 1979, and Mengikulov Khusein Jurabekovich, born in 2004, residents of the Yovon district, sustained injuries and were hospitalized,” the statement said.

Earlier, Azda TV, as well as other media outlets citing various sources, reported that all 7 passengers of the vehicle died as it sped off into a river and sank.

Eyewitnesses of the tragedy wrote on social media that the bodies of 4 deceased were found in the river, and the search for the others continues.

Radio Ozodi, citing an eyewitness from the Abdurakhmon Jomi area, reported that the tragedy occurred after the driver of the vehicle failed to comply with the traffic police inspectors’ demands and attempted to flee, but “during the chase, the driver lost control and the car plunged into the river.”

A published video shows a group of residents gathered by the river to help pull the victims out of the water. The Committee for Emergency Situations and Civil Defense of Tajikistan then reported that the bodies of 4 deceased had been found, and the search for the others continues.

At the same time, the Ministry of Internal Affairs stated that traffic police officers did not pursue this vehicle.

“During the investigation, these passengers were questioned and they denied the fact that the vehicle, a ‘Opel Astra,’ was being pursued by traffic police officers,” the Ministry of Internal Affairs stated.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the country has previously attempted to cover up the crimes of police officers and portray them as innocent. In this case, although it is reported that “the Prosecutor’s Office of the Khatlon region has prepared the necessary materials, and an investigation is underway,” despite the investigation not being completed, the Ministry of Internal Affairs already denies the involvement of traffic police officers in the accident.