DUSHANBE, June 2, Asia-Plus — “My son did not have those weapons that allegedly were found by special services in his house on May 27,” Salmon Langariyev, the farther of Suhrob Langariyev, announced at a meeting with a group of reporters in Kulob on May 31.
According to him, only two sub-machine-guns were kept in Suhrob’s house, “but he did not use them during the law-enforcement operation launched against him.”
As far as the statement about 100 kilograms of drugs that were allegedly kept in Suhrob Langariyev’s house is concerned, it is nothing but slander, Salmon Langariyev said. “During the civil conflict in the 1990s, when chaos reigned in the country, we were controlling the Tajik-Afghan border and could transport tons of drugs into the country, however, we did not do that; I was conducting relentless fight against drug traffickers and fostered that in my sons,” Salmon Langariyev said.
He said that Suhrob Langariyev had had some problems with power-wielding structures but he had been moving freely not only about Kulob but Dushanbe as well. “Therefore, I am surprised what for that operation, in which five persons were killed and six others were injured, was organized, while they might had arrested him in a different way,” Salmon Langariyev said.
At the end of his meeting with reporters, Salmon Langariyev noted that despite mentioned events, he and his family have been and remain supporters of the president. “My elder son Langari perished, protecting the interest of the present government, therefore, it hurts me that members of my family are being accused of anything,” said Salmon Langariyev. “I agree that Suhrob should answer if he is really guilty.”
“I ask the president, who brought peace and wellbeing to Tajikistan, to receive me,” said Salmon Langariyev, “I would like to discuss with him illegal actions of special units that led to casualties.”
We will recall that the law-enforcement operation against Suhrob Langariyev and his confederates started in the early morning on May 27. According to the law enforcement agencies, Suhrob Langariyev and his confederates offered armed resistance to the law enforcement officers, and three persons, including two bystanders and one security officer, were killed and one security officer was injured in the operation that lasted for several hours. According to prosecutors, gang members used women and children as a “human shield” in an attempt to ward off arrest. After an extended gun battle, eight persons, including Suhrob Langariyev, were taken into custody.
A large amount of weapons and ammunitions was found in Suhrob Langariyev’s house after completion of the operation, Nozirjon Bouriyev, the head of the public relations center within the State Committee for National Security (GKNB), said in an interview with Asia-Plus. According to him, seven grenade launchers, seven sub-machine-guns Kalashnikov, six pistols Makarov, 15 radio transmitters and two satellite-based mobile telephones Thuraya, as well as 20,000 bullets of different caliber were found in the house.
