The tragic death of a 15-year-old Khusrav Odinayev from Tursunzoda has shaken the Tajik public, following revelations that the teenager died as a result of severe abuse by his father. In a phone interview with Asia-Plus, Khusrav’s mother, Farzona Sharif, shared her account of the events that led to her son’s death.
The case gained national attention about ten days ago after a disturbing video surfaced online. The footage, allegedly filmed by Khusrav’s father, Parviz Odinayev, shows the man threatening his son and demanding he confess to stealing 600 somonis. The father accuses the boy of using nasway (a moist, powdered tobacco dip consumed in Central Asia) and references a previous theft.
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, on July 26, Parviz Odinayev accused his son of stealing 800 somonis in May and another 600 somonis in early July. To force a confession, he allegedly tied the boy’s legs and dragged him behind a car. “The teenager sustained severe injuries and died at home,” the ministry reported.
Farzona Sharif told Asia-Plus that the incident occurred in a field. “When they brought him home, he was groaning and in critical condition,” she said.
“There are claims that Khusrav was held in a basement — that’s a lie. His father brought him home around 1:00 p.m. My son was already in bad shape and died shortly afterward,” she added.
A previous source had alleged to Asia-Plus that after the abuse, Khusrav was locked in a basement for a day, and his father prevented his mother from checking on him.
“He started worrying me”
Authorities stated earlier that the father abused his son under the pretext of theft and nasway use. Khusrav’s mother confirmed this, admitting that “over the past six months, my son really had become unruly.”
“Once, he took 500 somonis — I returned it. The second time, it was 600 somonis, but he didn’t admit to it. I saw him using nasway myself. Honestly, he started worrying me,” Farzona Sharif said.
According to her, Khusrav had dropped out of school, vandalized someone’s car mirror, and stolen money again from another place — all of which infuriated his father.
“The last time he went missing, we found him at my sister’s house in Dushanbe. His father, enraged, took him to a field and beat him there,” she added.
Sharif also dismissed rumors circulating on social media that the parents secretly transported Khusrav’s body to the Temurmalik district in Khatlon province for burial. “My son’s body was taken to the hospital, where a forensic medical examination was conducted. Only after that were we permitted to bury him. His uncle took the body to Temurmalik,” she explained.
After being questioned by police, Farzona Sharif arrived in Temurmalik the next morning and attended her son’s funeral. Khusrav was buried on July 27.
A participant at the funeral, speaking anonymously to Asia-Plus, said hundreds attended, but no one knew the truth. “At the funeral, they said Khusrav died from falling off a roof. We learned the real cause later through social media.”
Parviz Odinayev was absent from the funeral, while Khusrav’s mother was present and returned to Tursunzoda a few days later.
“They say we were indifferent — that’s a lie. We, the parents, didn’t want things to end this way. We wanted to raise him properly and guide him back from the wrong path. Do any parents want their child to go astray? But perhaps, this was fate…” she said.
The case has sparked widespread public outrage in Tajikistan. Several officials have called for Parviz Odinayev to face the full extent of the law.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs confirmed that Odinayev has been detained and is under criminal investigation under Article 110 (3) of the country’s Penal Code — “intentional infliction of grievous bodily harm.” The charge carries a prison sentence of 12 to 15 years.
