More than four months have passed since the announcement of the arrest of four suspects in the high-profile murders of members of several families in the northern city of Konibodom. The relatives of the detainees say they have no information about what has happened to their loved ones or where they are being held. The authorities, citing the ongoing investigation, refuse to provide any details.
On December 21, 2024 — nearly nine months after the start of the family murders in Konibodom — the country’s General Prosecutor’s Office announced in an official statement that “the murder case has been solved,” stating the following individuals had been arrested: Solehjon Khudoyberdiyev, 26, resident of Firuzoba settlement, subordinate to Konibodom; Ahadjon Tukhtayev, 27, resident of the same settlement; Bakhtiyor Ravshanov, 36, resident of Sanjidzor village, subordinate to Konibodom; and Manouchehr Odilov, 28, resident of the Hamroboyev settlement, subordinate to Konibodom.
No further details were given by the Prosecutor’s Office then — or in the months since.
What do the suspects’ relatives say?
Dilfira Akhmedullina, mother of Solehjon Khudoyberdiyev, one of the detained men, told Asia-Plus by phone that the last time she saw her son was in December, at a detention facility in Khujand.
“When I asked him whether he was involved in the crime, he didn’t say anything — he just cried,” Akhmedullina said.
She noted that she has not hired a lawyer to defend her son, as she cannot afford one. She hopes for a fair investigation.
Zulfiya Tukhtayeva, mother of Ahadjon Tukhtayev, another suspect, also said she was only able to meet her son once after his arrest, at a detention center.
“During our conversation, my son told me he was innocent. But honestly, I don’t know what really happened. After his arrest, investigators searched our home but found nothing,” she said.
She, too, has not hired a lawyer to defend her son.
Zarnigor Barotova, the wife of the third detainee, Bakhtiyor Ravshanov, said she has not seen her husband since his arrest and does not know where he is being held.
“I went to the city’s police and prosecutor’s offices several times, but I was not allowed to see my husband. His parents also tried to visit him but were unsuccessful,” she said.
This family also did not hire a lawyer.
“We approached one lawyer, but he said the state provides an attorney and that he couldn’t take on my husband’s case,” Barotova explained.
Asia-Plus was unable to contact the relatives of the fourth suspect, Manouchehr Odilov.
A secret investigation
The General Prosecutor’s Office of Tajikistan briefly told Asia-Plus that the investigation is ongoing.
“The case has been assigned to the Department for Especially Important Cases, and the investigation continues,” said Ms. Zulfiya Muhiddinzoda, a spokesperson for the Prosecutor-General’s Office.
However, she refused to provide additional information, citing the “secrecy of the investigation.”
The last official statement from the Prosecutor-General’s Office about the Konibodom murders was: “The work of the investigative-operational group is under the direct control of the country’s top leadership, and the investigation continues.”
