DUSHANBE, November 21, 2009, Asia-Plus – A woman who was reportedly beaten by a Russian soldier in the southwestern Tajik city of Kulob has died, Radio liberty’s Tajik Service reported on November 20.
Kulob police spokesman Rustamkhon Botyrov told RFE/RL that Anzhelika Golovina died of liver failure on November 19.
Botyrov said Golovina suffered injuries suffering when she was beaten last week by a Russian military officer from a unit stationed in Khatlon Province, but that her death was ultimately caused by complications from hepatitis.
Meanwhile, some locals in Kulob have complained about the presence of the Russian military in their city.
Local resident Khayriddin Sadulloev told RFE/RL that drunken Russian soldiers often “literally terrorize the local population by fighting with each other or attacking passersby.”
In September, two Russian soldiers were convicted of killing a taxi driver in Qurghon Teppa.
The Russian military base in Kulob is considered crucial for monitoring the Tajik-Afghan border.
There are some 7,000 Russian service personnel in Tajikistan at bases in Dushanbe and the southern cities of Qurghon Teppa and Kulob.
