Tajikistan Advises Citizens To Avoid Traveling To Russia
Dushanbe expressed its concerns about the treatment of its citizens in a meeting with Russia's ambassador to Tajikistan on April 26.
Tajikistan has advised its citizens torefrain from traveling to Russia amid increased pressures faced by Central Asians there following the deadly Crocus City Hall attack near Moscow last month.
The Tajik Foreign Ministry issued the "temporary" advisoryon April 27, a day after Tajik officials expressed concerns about Tajiks being "unjustifiably" denied entry to Russia.
Human rights organizations and Tajik officials have reported rising levels of xenophobia against Central Asians in Russia following the terrorist attack on the Crocus City Hall concert venue that left 144 people dead and hundreds more injured.
Russian investigators say the assault -- Russia's worst terrorist attack in two decades -- was carried out by four men, all Tajik nationals. Other detainees are being held for aiding and abetting the attackers.
Russian authorities have arrested 11 Tajik citizens, the latest on April 27, and a Kyrgyzstan-born Russian citizen in connection with the attack.
An offshoot of the Islamic State extremist group, the Islamic State-Khorasan group active in Afghanistan and Central Asia, claimed responsibility for the attack. Tajikistan has also detained nine people suspected of having links to the attack.
Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Mukhriddin said on April 12 that "an ill-conceived information campaign" in Russia was creating "a negative perception" of Tajiks.
Muhriddin also condemned the treatment of the Tajik suspects held in connection with the attack amid allegations that the detainees were tortured in custody.
Before-And-After Images Suggest Severe Abuse Of Moscow Terror Suspects
1/8Dalerjon Mirzoev is seen immediately after his capture in the Bryansk region on March 23. He was captured on suspicion of being one of four Tajik nationals involved in the terrorist attack on a concert hall near Moscow on March 22 that left at least 137 dead and more than 180 injured.
Images taken as four Tajik men suspected of committing the Crocus City Hall shooting near Moscow were apprehended in western Russia on March 23 are starkly different from how the men appeared -- battered and bruised -- in court the following day.
2/8Here is Mirzoev pictured in court in Moscow on March 24 wearing the same long-sleeved T-shirt but sporting signs of being beaten.
Images taken as four Tajik men suspected of committing the Crocus City Hall shooting near Moscow were apprehended in western Russia on March 23 are starkly different from how the men appeared -- battered and bruised -- in court the following day.
3/8Faridun Shamsiddin is shown apparently unscathed immediately after his capture in the Bryansk region on March 23.
Images taken as four Tajik men suspected of committing the Crocus City Hall shooting near Moscow were apprehended in western Russia on March 23 are starkly different from how the men appeared -- battered and bruised -- in court the following day.
4/8Shamsiddin is seen here pictured in court in Moscow on March 24 with a swollen and bruised face. Earlier, the Tajik man was filmed as he was apparently being tortured by security forces with an electrical cable attached to his genitals.
Aiden Aslin, a British national who was captured by Russia while fighting for Ukraine during the battle of Mariupol, told RFE/RL that he believes the publication of apparent torture of the terror suspects is intended to "set an example."
The former Ukrainian marine says such abuse of suspects yet to be found guilty of any crime is at "the same level" as the extrajudicial violence he says he witnessed while in Russian captivity.
Images taken as four Tajik men suspected of committing the Crocus City Hall shooting near Moscow were apprehended in western Russia on March 23 are starkly different from how the men appeared -- battered and bruised -- in court the following day.
5/8Saidakram Rajabalizoda is seen as he is led away after reportedly having his ear sliced off by uniformed men who caught him in a forest in Russia's Bryansk region on March 23.
The Russian Grey Zone Telegram channel, which is connected to the Wagner group, published a video purportedly showing Rajabalizoda’s ear being cut off and security agents trying to force him to eat it. A man in the video yells at the suspect: “Chew, bastard! I will cut you open and shove it into your mouth.”
Images taken as four Tajik men suspected of committing the Crocus City Hall shooting near Moscow were apprehended in western Russia on March 23 are starkly different from how the men appeared -- battered and bruised -- in court the following day.
6/8Rajabalizoda is seen at his March 24 court appearance with his right ear bandaged and showing evidence of being beaten while in detention.
Images taken as four Tajik men suspected of committing the Crocus City Hall shooting near Moscow were apprehended in western Russia on March 23 are starkly different from how the men appeared -- battered and bruised -- in court the following day.
7/8Muhammadsobir Faizov is pictured after being apprehended on March 23 with an apparently severe eye injury that has been blurred out by Russian media outlets.
Images taken as four Tajik men suspected of committing the Crocus City Hall shooting near Moscow were apprehended in western Russia on March 23 are starkly different from how the men appeared -- battered and bruised -- in court the following day.
8/8Faizov is seen here at a March 24 court hearing. The terror suspect was wheeled into the courtroom and appeared barely responsive during the appearance.
Images taken as four Tajik men suspected of committing the Crocus City Hall shooting near Moscow were apprehended in western Russia on March 23 are starkly different from how the men appeared -- battered and bruised -- in court the following day.
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Several Tajik suspects showed signs of abuse when they appeared in court in Moscow following the attack. The four accused gunmen had bruised and swollen faces and showed other signs of having been severely beaten. There were unconfirmed reports that one of them had his ear cut off during his arrest.
Russia is a popular destination for Tajik migrant laborers, who are often engaged in construction and agricultural work. More than 652,000 Tajiks traveled to Russia for work in 2023, according to Tajik labor officials.
Tajikistan is heavily dependent on remittances from Tajik migrant laborers, with about a third of its GDP coming from money sent home from abroad, mostly Russia.
Russia has cited labor shortages as a significant problem affecting all sectors of its economy.
RFE/RL's Russian Service is a multi-platform alternative to Russian state-controlled media, providing audiences in the Russian Federation with informed and accurate news, analysis, and opinion.
