The military prosecutor of Kulob has found the Tajikistan border officer Yusuf Mirzoev guilty in the death of soldier Shohdil Jurazoda and demanded a sentence of 11 years in prison.
Yusuf Mirzoev, who is currently in custody, was the head of the “Shokhon” border post on the Tajik-Afghan border. Shohdil Jurazoda, aged 20, served there and went missing in December 2025. A month and a half later, his body was found in the Panj River.
A source in the Khatlon Border Forces anonymously told Radio Ozodi on April 7 that “Mirzoev’s verdict is likely to be announced in the coming days.”
The case is being investigated under part 3 of article 391 (abuse of power or official position, resulting in death through negligence). The penalty under this article ranges from 8 to 12 years in prison.
Mehrufruz Jurazoda, Shohdil’s sister, confirmed this information to Ozodi and stated that the cause of her brother’s death was likely extortion and mistreatment by Yusuf Mirzoev.
“Some soldiers testified that my brother paid the post commander 1000 somoni for leave. When the commander did not respond, Shohdil asked several times to return the money. After that, he was harassed and forced to work hard. This is what it ultimately led to,” she said.
Attempts by the radio to obtain an official comment on the details of Shohdil Jurazoda’s death have so far been unsuccessful. The position of Yusuf Mirzoev, his family, or his lawyer is also unknown.
Shohdil Jurazoda was drafted into the army in April 2025 from Panjakent and had served for eight months at the time of his disappearance. On December 8, 2025, he went to the river with his comrades to fetch water. After that, he asked his friends to return to the post, promising to catch up with them later, but he never returned.
His body was only found in January 2026 on Afghan territory. The authorities informed the relatives that he had committed suicide. However, the family did not believe this and appealed to the authorities to investigate the cause of his death.
