An officer and a soldier of military unit 0201 of the Border Troops Department of the State Committee for National Security of Tajikistan was detained in connection with the death of a conscript soldier Abubakr Husseinzoda, Radio Ozodi reports, citing relatives of the deceased.
The deceased was serving in the Matcha district of the Sughd region. The military prosecutor’s office of the region noted that the detainees are accused of intentionally causing grievous bodily harm and violating the statutory rules of relations between servicemen. They face up to 17 years in prison. The investigator, in turn, noted that he could not divulge additional information about the suspects, since the case was at the stage of preliminary investigation.
The body of 22-year-old Abubakr Khuseinzoda was handed over to his parents on August 5. On the same day he was buried in the cemetery of the village of Ovchi. Authorities have not commented on the soldier’s death. However, when the body was transferred, the head of the military unit informed the father of the deceased that Abubakr “suddenly fell and died in the corridor of the military unit building.” Relatives do not believe this explanation, since marks from a strong blow were visible on the back of the son’s head and neck.
The father of the deceased also said that in the last week his son was very depressed and begged to be transferred to another military unit. “When his uncle came to him on August 4, the head of the unit said that Abubakr was in the hospital, and a little later we were informed of his death,” he said. According to relatives, Husseinzoda was married and had one child.
Tajik human rights activists regularly publish information about violence in the army. This is one of the reasons why conscripts try to evade service. In May 2023, an officer of the Vorukh border command and six servicemen received up to 11.5 years in prison for beating colleagues. The case was initiated after a video was circulated on social networks, in which conscripts were lined up and beaten on the head and stomach with fists and a furniture board.
A month later, two junior sergeants in the Tajik army were charged with abuse of power for shaving the name of their hometown on the heads of nine recruits. They faced heavy fines or imprisonment for up to five years.
Source: Media Zona
