On 26 November 2014, in Moscow, around 22:50, a member of the Tajik
opposition Maksud Ibragimov received six stab wounds. The attack took place in
the Tsaritsyno Southern administrative district of the capital, on Sevan
Street. There were two assailants, they disappeared.
Maksud Ibragimov is at the Institute of Emergency Medicine named after
Sklifosovsky. The first five days, doctors assessed his health, as serious. Now
he is able to moves independently. The Moscow police guard his ward, even his relatives
are not allowed to see him.
Maksud Ibragimov
Maksud Ibragimov was born on 3 November 1977 in Dushanbe; he has a dual citizenship of
Tajikistan and the Russian Federation.
He is married and has three children. He has been living in Russia for
over 15 years.
He is a founder and the Chairman of the Russian Youth Public
Organisation titled “Youth of Tajikistan for the Revival of Tajikistan”. He is
a member of the Supervisory Council of “New Tajikistan” the Opposition
Coalition. A year ago, he started his active political public role. He gave
many interviews in the media criticising the government of Tajikistan.
The attempt occurred near the place of Maksud Ibragimov’s residence. A
Makarov pistol with a silencer was found at the crime scene. The assassins could
not shoot because the fuse jammed. Ibragimov received six stab wounds,
including three in his arm. Eyewitnesses claim that the assailants disappeared
behind a house located on Sevan Street, and escaped in a foreign vehicle. None
of the personal belongings of the victim was missing. Most likely, the crime
was not committed with intent to rob.
A day before the assassination, at the Tsaritsyno District Department of
the Ministry of Interior, Maksud Ibrahimov submitted a complaint about the
threats against him by members of the Tajik law enforcement agencies. Ibragimov’s
report was ignored even after Russia received a request for his extradition
from the General Prosecutor of Tajikistan.
On 9 October 2014 Maksud Ibragimov was arrested in Moscow on the basis
of an extradition request of Tajikistan which placed him in the international
wanted list. Russia rejected this request, and on 11 October Ibragimov was
released from custody.
Once M. Ibragimov announced that he has become a leader of an opposition
organisation, the authorities began to exert pressure through his relatives living
in Tajikistan. In addition, he received calls with threats of arrest, demanding
to end his political activity. Ibragimov was also offered to return to
Tajikistan and promised his safety. Over the last six months, such calls were
particularly frequent.
The assassination attempt on Maksud Ibragimov caused panic among the
citizens of Tajikistan living in Russia. Tajik migrants have become more
serious about telephone threats.
The Association for Human Rights in Central Asia
expresses concern about the attempt on Maksud Ibragimov. We call on Russia to
provide legal protection to citizens of Tajikistan residing in its territory, who
are threatened by Tajik law enforcement agencies.
