Crossroads Asia | Politics | Central Asia
Tajik President Emomali Rahmon is anticipated to make a go to to GBAO in early September, although no official announcement has been made.
Tajik President Emomali Rahmon will quickly journey to the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Area (GBAO), the location of violent unrest earlier this yr and ongoing stress on Pamiri leaders, journalists, and activists.
RFE/RL’s Tajik Service reported that preparations have been underway for a presidential go to. The particular dates are unknown, although the go to is prone to happen in early September. If the go to does happen, it might be Rahmon’s first to the area since protests and an ensuing crackdown in Might.
Rahmon final traveled to GBAO in September 2021, delivering a speech within the area’s capital, Khorog and hailing the federal government’s investments within the area. Usually, Rahmon’s working visits to GBAO embrace the opening of assorted tasks and little dialogue of the frictions between the area and Dushanbe. Throughout a 2020 journey to GBAO Rahmon poured basis for a bridge throughout the Gund River and attended the commissioning of a brand new sports activities facility.
RFE/RL’s Tajik Service cited a resident of Rushan district as saying that if the journey does happen, folks shall be pressured to greet the president. “…however of their hearts they don’t have any gratitude to the authorities. There are nearly no folks left in Khorog and Rushan whose kinfolk haven’t been killed or arrested.” Rushan was the location of protests in Might, with teams of civilians making an attempt to cease a navy convoy on its means into Khorog. At the least 21 civilians have been killed.
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Dushanbe claimed it had undertaken an “anti-terrorism operation” however for a lot of observers, it was a transparent crackdown on Pamiri leaders, journalists, and activists. At the least three outstanding native leaders — Mamadboqir Mamadboqirov, Zoir Rajabov, and Khursand Mazorov — have been killed and a whole bunch detained. Within the months since, a number of extra Pamiri figures and activists have been detained in Russia and deported again to Tajikistan. Final week, Maqsud Ghayosov, a Tajik activists and blogger, was arrested in Moscow, and his kinfolk concern he shall be returned to Tajikistan.
In the meantime, a lot of these detained and charged over the protests and unrest in Might have been convicted and sentenced in current weeks. Salam Imomnazarov, the son of Imomnazar Imomnazarov, a former subject commander within the United Tajik Opposition (UTO) and native chief killed throughout the 2012 unrest, was arrested in February. He was convicted in June and sentenced to 16 years in jail for drug trafficking, although the sentence solely turned recognized this week. Prosecutors are reportedly searching for a 25-year sentence for activists and journalist Ulfathonim Mamadshoeva. The authorities are searching for a life sentence for Mamadshoeva’s ex-husband, a former common, Kholbash Kholbashov. The pair appeared in a video in Might “confessing” to organizing the unrest in GBAO.
Human Rights Watch’s Central Asia researcher Syinat Sultanaliev stated in a current assertion, “Dozens of activists and different members of the Pamiri minority within the Gorno-Badakshan autonomous area are going through unfair trials behind closed doorways with out entry to legal professionals… With out legal professionals, defendants can’t get a good trial and are at larger threat of being tortured or in any other case mistreated.”
With the variety of detained estimated to be round 200, it’s subsequent to not possible to catalog each case — a activity made harder by constant stress on media to not report dangerous information about GBAO.
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As Eurasianet chronicled in July, Tajik authorities have been speaking up a building drive for GBAO, “searching for to assuage anger with investments…” The works promoted included “two new sports activities stadiums, parks and a 10-story constructing for the Khorog State College” in addition to chatter a few new tunnel to attach the cities of Kalai-Khumb and Vanj.
These, and extra, are prone to be center-stage when Rahmon arrives within the area.
