Friday, March 29th, 2024

The authorities must ensure the protection of the Pamiri people and respect for human rights in the GBAO

Ladies and Gentlemen!

My name is Firuzi Mahmadali and I am the son of Mahmadali Hayit, the Tajik political prisoner, who was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Tajik authorities in violation of all national and international norms of justice.

In a country, where every thinkable and unthinkable human rights have been being violated, naturally that certain minority groups will be especially vulnerable to repressions. One of these groups is the ethnic and religious minority – the Pamiri people, who live in Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, in the eastern part of Tajikistan. Since coming to power, the Rahmon regime has carried out the genocide of this people several times.
Since the beginning of the 1990s, this people has been subjected to mass killings. During this period, in total, according to various estimates, from three to seven thousand representatives of this people were killed and went missing. Badakhshan region was subjected to economic blockades several times.

Later, Tajik authorities carried out a special military operation on the territory of GBAO in 2012, as a result of which 24 civilians were killed.

Another special military operation was carried out in May 2022, during which a peaceful mass protest in the Rushan district was suppressed with particular cruelty, more than forty civilians were killed and dozens went missing. Even one of the cases of massacres of the Pamiri people was not objectively investigated, moreover, more than 200 people have been imprisoned for many years on trumped-up charges. To this day, mass arbitrary detentions of representatives of this people continue. Tajik authorities has been targeting Pamiri activists throughout the territory of the post-Soviet states.

Ladies and gentlemen!

As a recommendation, I would suggest that the representatives of civil society of democratic countries here to influence the governments of their countries to impose sanctions on officials involved in this crimes against humanity, especially against the leadership of the Tajik law enforcement agencies.

Thank you for your attention!

Speech by Firuzi Mahmadali at Warsaw Human Dimension Conference – OSCE/ODIHR 29.09.2022

Related Articles

Latest Articles