DUSHANBE, July 14, 2014, Asia-Plus – Local authorities of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO) have estimated the preliminary damage caused by a deadly clash that took place in Khorog, the capital of the Gorno-Badakhshan on May 21 this year.
The Khorog-based weekly
Impulse
quoted the GBAO firefighting department chief Anvar Sholangarov as saying on July 14 that damage caused by setting fire to the buildings of regional court and prosecutor’s office as well as Khorog police department, private house, cars and cables of Tajik Telecom has been estimated at 1,340,156 somoni.
According to Sholangarov, the building of the regional prosecutor’s office was most damaged. “Damage caused to the regional prosecutor’s office has been estimated at 562,693 somoni.
Meanwhile, the GBAO authorities say it is still premature to assess damage caused by the May 21 incident because it is still increasing from day to day. Thus, the number of both domestic and foreign tourists visiting the region has sharply decreased this summer.
Impulse
says this was announced at a meeting of regional administrators that took place in Khorog at the end of last week.
Local authorities have reportedly estimated a total damage caused by the May violence at some 11 million somoni (equivalent to some 2.2 U.S. dollars).
We will recall that clashes in Khorog on May 21 left three people, including a police officer, dad and at least seven people, including three police officers, injured.
The fatalities occurred during a police offensive against suspected criminals and ensuing clashes between security forces and local residents upset with the police action.
At least one person was killed and two injured on May 24 when the protesters attacked the building of the Stat Committee for National Security (SCNS)’s office in Khorog, using a grenade and firearms.
Hundreds of protesters spent two nights in tents in the center of Khorog on May 23-24, demanding an investigation into the deadly clash on May 21 and the resignations of the local police chiefs and prosecutor. They left the central square of Khorog after civil society activists ad authorities agreed on May 25 to investigate the deadly shooting followed by violent protests.
