The law enforcement authorities in the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO) say they allegedly feat that certain groups in Europe could incite the region’s population to new conflicts, Faromouz Irgahsev, the head of Group 44, told Asia-Plus by phone yesterday evening.  

“We periodically meet with senior representatives of local authorities and representatives of power-wielding structures and they say the situation in the region is very tense, and therefore, they fear that certain groups staying in Europe will use the situation and will incite the population to new conflicts,” Irgashev said.  

He confirmed that the situation in the region is really tense “because the law enforcement authorities are very slow to investigate the case of murder of Gulbiddin Ziyobekov.”

“Meanwhile, criminal cases of local residents are being investigated,” said Irgashev.  “At the same time, the cases of law enforcement officer are not investigated at all.”  

“Thus, criminal proceedings have been instituted against a local young man for the felled trees.  Besides, criminal proceedings have been instituted against two young men who are charged with complicity in the abduction of the assistant prosecutor together with Gulbiddin Ziyobekov.  At the same time, the law enforcement authorities did not launched investigation into actions of the assistant prosecutor himself and local police officer Habib Mahmadov, who were going to make a fake passport for a local woman.  The then-governor of GBAO, Yodgor Faizov, talked about this in the documentary Nerui Qonun (The Force of Law), which has been repeatedly demonstrated and which is used as proof gains many.  So why isn't it used against law enforcement officers?” Irgashev notes.  

Recall, residents of the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region have not access to Internet since November 26.    

Natives of the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO) studying and working abroad applied to the Communications Service under the Government of Tajikistan and mobile company operating in the region on December 22 with solicitation to restore access to Internet in the region.  In their appeal, they, in particular, note that Internet disconnection is used as a tool in a conflict that occurred in GBAO on November 25.  

They note that the fact that access to Internet has not yet been restored in Khorog undermines the confidence of the local population in both the authorities and Internet service providers.  “We are dismayed that Internet service providers in GBAO charge for services that are not currently provided,” GBAO natives write in their appeal.  They also note that access to Internet is one of the basic human rights enjoyed by billions of people around the world, and nationals of Tajikistan must also enjoy this right.   

Access to Internet was switched off in GBAO on November 26 after several thousand people occupied a central square in Khorog, the capital of GBAO, in a demand for justice and thorough investigation into the killing of Roshtqala resident Gulbiddin Ziyobekov by law enforcement authorities.

The four-day rally ended in the afternoon of November 28 after several hours of negotiations between the government officials and representatives of the protesters.  The authorities agreed to refrain from any kind of persecution of the protesters, to conduct a quick, impartial, and effective investigation into the deaths of Gulbiddin Ziyobekov, Gulnazar Murodbekov, and Tutisho Amirshoev, to restore Internet access in GBAO and terminate the permanent checkpoints in the city.

However, the authorities have not yet fulfilled any of the terms of the agreement reached between them and protesters on November 28.