You are not Forgotten.

Berlin, Brussels (20/5 – 40)

In the vast and remote mountain lands of Central Asia, the Ismaili Pamiris have long faced systemic discrimination and persecution at the hands of the Tajik government. Despite their proud history, rich cultural traditions, and highly educated populace, they have been targeted for cultural extermination in a chilling campaign of ethnic cleansing. Tajikistan President Imomali Rahmon has demonized them as “inbred” and “criminals” and launched a brutal program to replace their community with ethnic Tajiks.

In May and June 2022, the government launched a final assault on the Pamiris to end their autonomy and bring them under the total control of the state. Heavily armed security forces rampaged into the town of Vamar, where protestors calling for respect for human rights had peacefully blocked the Pamiri Highway. There and in other towns of the Gorno-Badakhshan region (GBAO), protestors and passers-by were shot dead, maimed, and taken to prisons to be tortured and degraded.

Dokhunda Pallaev was a protestor who fled from the security forces along with five friends who hid in a house. There, they were discovered by Tajik security forces, blasted with explosives and dragged out of the house. Four were executed with close shots to the head, and one taken prisoner. According to reports, Dokhunda was killed by the security forces.

Dokhunda was from Vamar in the Rushan district of GBAO.  He was buried in the Derzud cemetery, where the government has forbidden his family to place his name on his tombstone.

Source

The post Tajikistan’s Fallen Hero: Dokhunda Pallaev appeared first on Tashkent Citizen.

You are not Forgotten.

Berlin, Brussels (16/5 – 40)

In the vast mountain lands of Central Asia, a small ethnic group located at the crossroads of Afghanistan, China, and Russia is struggling for its very survival in the face of a national program that, some experts argued, is tantamount to ethnic cleansing.  The Pamiris of Tajikistan were granted autonomy by the USSR and reside in Gorno-Badakhshan region known as the GBAO. For years, the Pamiris’ ancient traditions, peaceful religious faith, and highly educated populace, accused by Tajikistan President Imomali Rahmon of being “inbred” and run by “criminals”, have faced a state campaign that replaces the Pamiri society with ethnic Tajiks. This re-engineering of the GBAO climaxed in May and June 2022, when security forces stormed up the Pamiri Highway that leads to China and killed, wounded, arrested, and tortured hundreds of Pamiris who had been protesting the government’s abuse of human rights in GBAO. Munavvar Gulomshoev was one of the victims.

Munavvar was the son of sportsman, Vakhtdavlat Gulomshoev. He was a table tennis coach at the sports school for children and teenagers in the mountainous Rushon district.

Munavvar was arrested by Tajik security forces on May 18, as he was helping transport the injured protesters to the hospital after the government forces massacred over 40 civilians. According to witness reports, he was badly beaten and tortured by the security forces, who then executed him with a shot in the head at close range. His mutilated body and shattered skull was nearly unrecognizable when he was found.

Munavvar was married with a child, and his wife was 8 months pregnant with their second child at the time of his killing.

Source

The post Tajikistan’s Fallen Hero: Munavvar Gulomshoev appeared first on Tashkent Citizen.

You are not Forgotten.

Berlin, Brussels (15/5 – 40)

The Ismaili Pamiris of Tajikistan are a tiny minority group in Central Asia, whose ancient homeland lies in the remote and forbidding mountains that straddle the borders of Afghanistan, China, and Russia. Despite their small numbers, they have long been targeted for persecution by the authoritarian government of Tajikistan. In recent years, this has escalated into a full-blown campaign of ethnic cleansing, with President Imomali Rahmon seeking to eradicate this community and replace them with ethnic Tajiks. The Pamiris reside in the Gorno-Badakhshan region (GBAO), which became a warzone in May 2022. Government security forces had swept through Vamar, indiscriminately killing, torturing, and jailing Pamiris whom they accused of committing “terrorist acts”. Amonjon Sodikov    was a victim of this brutal onslaught.

Amonjon was a resident in the village of Vamar in Rushan, Tajikistan. He was married and had two daughters. He and Ismat Sharipov were neighours in Vamar. Amonjon was in the construction business and was building his own house.

According to reports, Amonjon participated in the protest and was brutally killed by the security forces on 18 May 2022. Family members and his colleagues shared that Amonjon, whom the regime accused of possessing weapons, did not carry a weapon during the protest and may have seen weapons only during his military service.

On the days of the protests, none of the protesters had weapons.

Before going to the protest demonstration, he left his carpentry tools in front of his family and told them that the tools were souvenirs for his friends in case he did no return alive. Amonjon’s passing left his house half-built. The villagers helped and continued to build the unfinished house together for the family.

Source

The post Tajikistan’s Fallen Hero: Amonjon Sodikov appeared first on Tashkent Citizen.

You are not Forgotten.

Berlin, Brussels (11/5 – 40)

In the vast and remote mountain lands of Central Asia, the Ismaili Pamiris have long faced systemic discrimination and persecution at the hands of the Tajik government. Despite their proud history, rich cultural traditions, and highly educated populace, they have been targeted for cultural extermination in a chilling campaign of ethnic cleansing. Tajikistan President Imomali Rahmon has demonized them as “inbred” and “criminals” and launched a brutal program to replace their community with ethnic Tajiks. In May and June 2022, the government launched a final assault on the Pamiris to end their autonomy and bring them under the total control of the state. Heavily armed security forces rampaged into the town of Vamar, where protestors calling for respect for human rights had peacefully blocked the Pamiri Highway. There and in other towns of the Gorno-Badakhshan region (GBAO), protestors and passers-by were shot dead, maimed, and taken to prisons to be tortured and degraded. Munir Nasrullobekov was just one of the many innocent victims of this genocidal campaign.

According to reports, he was killed by the security forces. His corpse was naked when found, with traces of torture.

Munir was born on January 26, 1996 in the village of Barzud, Rushan district. From 2014 to 2018, he served in the military in Dushanbe and Lakhsh district. After military service, he returned to the village. However, due to the torture by the government and difficult living conditions, he immigrated to Russia. In the fall of 2021, Munir returned to Tajikistan to get married in the village.

Source

The post Tajikistan’s Fallen Hero: Munir Nasrullobekov appeared first on Tashkent Citizen.

You are not Forgotten.

Berlin, Brussels (14/5 – 40)

In the vast and remote mountain lands of Central Asia, the Ismaili Pamiris have long faced systemic discrimination and persecution at the hands of the Tajik government. Despite their proud history, rich cultural traditions, and highly educated populace, they have been targeted for cultural extermination in a chilling campaign of ethnic cleansing. Tajikistan President Imomali Rahmon has demonized them as “inbred” and “criminals” and launched a brutal program to replace their community with ethnic Tajiks. In May and June 2022, the government launched a final assault on the Pamiris to end their autonomy and bring them under the total control of the state. Heavily armed security forces rampaged into the town of Vamar, where protestors calling for respect for human rights had peacefully blocked the Pamiri Highway. There and in other towns of the Gorno-Badakhshan region (GBAO), protestors and passers-by were shot dead, maimed, and taken to prisons to be tortured and degraded. Ismat Sharipov was one of the many innocent victims of the regime’s genocidal onslaught.

Ismat was from the village of Vamar in Rushan, Tajikistan. He worked as a stonemason and was known by many as a very hard worker.

He had participated in the public protests in Vamar on May 17-18, 2022. According to reports, Ismat was injured during the crackdown on protesters by the security forces. However, the security forces prohibited

the nurse from taking him to the hospital and instead they beat him to death. Ismat died from a massive loss of blood.

Ismat passed away at the age of 36 and was buried in the town cemetery, along with some of the other 21 Derzud victims of the Tajik security forces. He left behind a wife and three young children.

Source

The post Tajikistan’s Fallen Hero: Ismat Sharipov appeared first on Tashkent Citizen.

You are not Forgotten.

Berlin, Brussels (13/5 – 40)

The Ismaili Pamiris of Tajikistan are a tiny minority group in Central Asia, whose ancient homeland lies in the remote and forbidding mountains that straddle the borders of Afghanistan, China, and Russia. Despite their small numbers, they have long been targeted for persecution by the authoritarian government of Tajikistan. In recent years, this has escalated into a full-blown campaign of ethnic cleansing, with President Imomali Rahmon seeking to eradicate this community and replace them with ethnic Tajiks. The Pamiris reside in the Gorno-Badakhshan region (GBAO), which became a warzone in May 2022. Government security forces had swept through Vamar, indiscriminately killing, torturing, and jailing Pamiris whom they accused of committing “terrorist acts”. Salim Shirinbekov was a victim of this brutal onslaught.

Salim was one of the first casualties of the regime’s crackdown in Vamar. Reports showed that he was killed by the security forces. He was an athlete and lived in village of Vamar in Rushan. He had worked in Rushan for the last few years before his death. He died at the age of 42.

Source

The post Tajikistan’s Fallen Hero: Salim Shirinbekov appeared first on Tashkent Citizen.

You are not Forgotten

Berlin, Brussels (13/5 – 40)

The Ismaili Pamiris of Tajikistan are a tiny minority group in Central Asia, whose ancient homeland lies in the remote and forbidding mountains that straddle the borders of Afghanistan, China, and Russia. Despite their small numbers, they have long been targeted for persecution by the authoritarian government of Tajikistan. In recent years, this has escalated into a full-blown campaign of ethnic cleansing, with President Imomali Rahmon seeking to eradicate this community and replace them with ethnic Tajiks. The Pamiris reside in the Gorno-Badakhshan region (GBAO), which became a warzone in May 2022. Government security forces had swept through Vanj, indiscriminately killing, torturing, and jailing Pamiris whom they accused of committing “terrorist acts”. Umed Nurmamadov was one Pamiri who fell victim to this brutal onslaught.

Umed was from the village of Vamar in Rushan, Tajikistan. A single man, he worked as an electrician.

According to the reports, Umed did not participate in the public protests in Vamar on May 17-18, 2022. He was assisting and rendered support to the nurses and took the injured to the hospital. He was then arrested by the security forces and taken to the police office. There, Umed was beaten severely. He was last seen alive on May 18, 2022. The authorities instead announced that Umed to have “disappeared”.

On June 1, 2022, his relatives identified his corpse on a photo. His nose was broken, an eye was swollen, there were no teeth left in his mouth and his body was full of hematomas and bruises. As his face was beyond recognizable, he had to be identified by his scar wound of an appendicectomy that he did earlier. His corpse had mistakenly been given to another family and reported to be buried in Rushan.

Source

The post Tajikistan’s Fallen Hero: Umed Nurmamadov appeared first on Tashkent Citizen.

You are not Forgotten.

Berlin, Brussels (12/5 – 40)

In the vast and remote mountain lands of Central Asia, the Ismaili Pamiris have long faced systemic discrimination and persecution at the hands of the Tajik government. Despite their proud history, rich cultural traditions, and highly educated populace, they have been targeted for cultural extermination in a chilling campaign of ethnic cleansing. Tajikistan President Imomali Rahmon has demonized them as “inbred” and “criminals” and launched a brutal program to replace their community with ethnic Tajiks. In May and June 2022, the government launched a final assault on the Pamiris to end their autonomy and bring them under the total control of the state. Heavily armed security forces rampaged into the town of Vanj, where protestors calling for respect for human rights had peacefully blocked the Pamiri Highway. There and in other towns of the Gorno-Badakhshan region (GBAO), protestors and passers-by were shot dead, maimed, and taken to prisons to be tortured and degraded. Asliddin Khursandov was just one of the many innocent victims of this genocidal campaign.

Asliddin Khursandov had participated in the public protests in Vamar on May 18, 2022. According to reports, Asliddin and his friend, Mukhiddin Kurbonasenov, sought refuge in the mountains to evade the gunfire and brutality of Rahmon regime’s security officers in town. While hiding there, helicopter snipers found them and he was shot to death.

Asliddin died at the age of 30 and was buried in the town cemetery, along with some of the other 21 Derzud victims of the Tajik security forces.

Asliddin was a graduate from the school in Rushon district. His parents are from the middle working class. His only brother, 28-year-old Ibrahim Khursandov, was also arrested by the regime.

The post Tajikistan’s Fallen Hero: Asliddin Khursandov appeared first on Tashkent Citizen.