DUSHANBE, August 7, 2014, Asia-Plus — Iranian national, Ms. Atefeh Pichand, who filed an application to the Prosecutor-General’s Office of Tajikistan saying that Tajik police officer raped her, reportedly attempted self-immolation inside the building of UN Office in Tajikistan on August 6.
Ms. Pichand, who is currently in the Dushanbe Burn-Treatment Center, says she dared to that desperate act “because the UN Office in Dushanbe is indifferent to her fate.”
“On August 6, I went to the UN Office again and wanted to ask them to ensure my safety because the person, against whom I filed the application to the Prosecutor-General’s Office of Tajikistan, is making moral pressure on me. He has called me demanding that I take my application from the Prosecutor-General’s Office. Nobody wants to help me, even the UN Office. Therefore, I wanted to immolate myself but could not do it. I drank gasoline and fainted,” Ms. Pichand told Asia-Plus by phone on August 7.
According to her, she applied to the UNHCR Country Office in Tajikistan a week ago but “they postponed consideration of my application for later.” “When I came to the UN Office yesterday they said again that they will call me back,” Atefeh Pichand noted.
We will recall that Iranian national, Ms. Atefeh Pichand, who is under UNHCR’s protection, on July 21 filed an application to the Prosecutor-General’s Office of Tajikistan saying that Tajik police officer raped her.
According to her, he on February 10, 2014 brought her by force to his office by car with number plate 55 00 AM 01 and raped her.
Tajik chief prosecutor Sherkhon Salimzoda told journalists on July 31 that investigation had been launched into the incident.
