DUSHANBE, December 6, 2011, Asia-Plus — Mahmadali Vatanov, the head of the Majlisi Namoyandagon (Tajikistan’s lower chamber of parliament) Committee on Legislation and Human Rights, departed for St. Petersburg today morning to get acquainted with the process of investigation into the brutal murder of Tajik national.
During his visit that will last till December 11, Tajik MP will hold meetings with senior representatives from the St. Petersburg law enforcement agencies and Tajik labor migrants working in St. Petersburg and Leningrad oblast, Muhammadato Sultonov, a spokesman for the Majlisi Namoyandagon said.
We will recall that beheaded and burned body of Tajik national Bakhtiyor Rasoulov was found in his car on the outskirts of St. Petersburg on November 16. Bakhtiyor Rasoulov had been a self-employed taxi-driver in St. Petersburg.
The representative office of Tajikistan’s Migration Service in Russia says that according the Russian law enforcement authorities, the murder of Bakhtiyor Rasoulov is a domestic homicide. Bakhtiyor Rasoulov was allegedly killed by the brother of his mistress, who was released from prison recently. The search operation for the alleged murderer is under way, the source said.
On November 30, Tajik MFA summoned the Russian Ambassador to Tajikistan Yuri Popov to voice complaints regarding the fact that cases of inhuman violence against Tajik nationals in Russia have become more frequent. According to the Tajik MFA information department, Tajik Foreign Ministry expressed serious concern about an upward trend in acts of violence against Tajiks and stated that brutal murders of Tajik nationals Bakhtiyor Rasoulov and Zokir Qurbonqulov had caused indignation of Tajikistanis.
The ministry stressed that those crimes could be the consequence of a recent campaign launched by separate Russian public figures and media outlets against Tajik labor migrants and pointed to the necessity of stopping to worsen the situations around this issue in media. It was noted that such acts provoked increase in negative moods in Tajik society and might seriously spoil the level of bilateral ties.
The ministry also pointed to the necessity of taking by the Russian sides of all necessary measures to punish the criminals and prevent such phenomena in the future.
