The military court of the Khatlon region found border guard officer Yusuf Mirzoev guilty in the death of soldier Shokhdil Dzurazoda and sentenced him to 10 years in prison, reports Radio Ozodi.
The court found him guilty of “abuse of power or official position, exceeding official or service duties,” resulting in death by negligence (Article 391, Part 3) of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Tajikistan. The prosecutor requested 11 years of imprisonment for the officer.
The reaction of Mirzoev and his relatives to the verdict is unknown.
The relatives of the deceased soldier claim they disagree with the court’s decision. Mekhrafruz Dzurazoda, Shokhdil’s sister, told Radio Ozodi that the court’s verdict was delivered last week.
“We were invited to participate in the process. But we couldn’t go because the journey from Penjikent to Khatlon is long. We do not agree with this verdict and will file a complaint. Because he mocked my brother,” said the sister of the deceased soldier.
Mirzoev was the head of the “Shokhon” border post in the Shamsiddin Shohin district on the Tajikistan-Afghanistan border.
20-year-old Shokhdil Dzurazoda was drafted into the army from the city of Penjikent in April 2025 and served for eight months in the border unit in the Shamsiddin Shohin district. He disappeared from his service location in December 2025, and a month and a half later his body was found in the Panj river.
Earlier, his relatives told Radio Ozodi that before disappearing, Shokhdil complained in a phone conversation about the harsh conditions of service.
“Some soldiers testified that my brother gave the head of the border post 1000 somoni for leave. When the head didn’t let him go, Shokhdil repeatedly asked for his money back. After that, he got angry and heavily loaded him with work. Look at how it all ended,” said Mekhrafruz.
Each year in Tajikistan, cases of the deaths of conscript soldiers due to illnesses, accidents, hazing, and suicide are recorded. The Ombudsman for Human Rights in Tajikistan reported that in 2023 alone, 40 soldiers died in the army.
