Despite the cold weather, hundreds of people from various regions of Tajikistan gathered for the funeral of Qobiljon Aliyev, a 10-year-old Tajik boy who was killed in a school xenophobic attack in Odintsovo, a town in Moscow region.
On December 18, he was laid to rest in his native village of Ajam, in Shahrinav district of Tajikistan.
Qobiljon was supposed to return to his homeland on December 17, but the day before, a 15-year-old Russian teenager, motivated by ethnic hatred, attacked him with a knife. The boy suffered fatal injuries and died.
The funeral was held under strict security measures, with journalists not permitted to take photographs or record videos freely.
At the farewell ceremony, Qobiljon’s grieving mother, devastated by the loss of her son, tearfully asked the mourners to come into her home and pray for his soul.
Stay tuned for more details in our full report.
