Tajik Police Licking Wounds After Diplomatic Dustup In Dushanbe

​ Going on a bit of a bender, even one that ends in fisticuffs, is not the type of thing that would normally raise an eyebrow in the Tajik capital.

That is, unless it involves a female foreign diplomat and her spouse giving a whupping to three Dushanbe cops.

As can be expected, news of such a late-night incident in the city's trendiest district on June 3 has become the talk of the town, with commenters quick to join the fray via local and social media.

Some see the French diplomat as a heroine akin to Joan of Arc, while others consider the policemen's reported lack of response to the reported assault as gentlemanly.

As the rumor mill grinds on, however, little has emerged about what actually happened.

Both Tajik and European officials have confirmed that Malika Malki, a European Commission attache in Dushanbe, and fellow French citizen Jalal Kazu were involved in a physical incident with police.

In a statement published June 6, Tajikistan's Interior Ministry said the 41-year-old Malki and the 42-year-old Kazu, "who were both heavily drunk, in an act of hooliganism disrupted public order and assaulted three employees of law-enforcement agencies."

The police officers -- identified as Gulmurod Faizov, Daler Shododov, and Ramazon Kurbonov, all in their early 30s -- sustained injuries of various degrees as a result of the incident, according to the statement. All three reportedly required medical treatment for their injuries.

According to the ministry, neither Malki nor Kazu were carrying passports or other identification, in violation of the law.

Tajik officials have said that due to Malki's diplomatic immunity they have left it to the European Commission office in Dushanbe to decide how to proceed with the case.

The EC's office has confirmed the incident involving Malki and Kazu took place, but did not provide details. Attempts to reach the two French citizens were unsuccessful.

-- Farangis Najibullah and RFE/RL's Tajik Service