The Movement for the Reforms and Development of Tajikistan (MRDT) unequivocally condemns the mass execution of prisoners that took place on February 3, 2025, in Vahdat Prison. This atrocity constitutes a deliberate and meticulously orchestrated extrajudicial execution carried out by Tajik security forces. Under the pretext of suppressing a “riot,” a systematic mass shooting was conducted, which in essence amounts to state-sanctioned murder.
Why is this not a riot but a premeditated operation for liquidation?
First, according to available information, each victim sustained between three and five gunshot wounds. Why did the security forces not resort to non-lethal methods, such as rubber bullets, tasers, tear gas, or targeted shots to incapacitate rather than kill? Instead, the prisoners were executed with lethal precision, ensuring that none survived. This strongly supports the assertion that this was a premeditated liquidation.
Second, while the authorities reported only three deaths, independent sources confirm that at least seven individuals were killed:
1. Hasanov Suhrob Safarmadovich (09.02.1991) – sentenced to 14 years (31.10.2018 – 31.10.2032).
2. Hasanov Jamoliddin Kamoliddinovich (07.03.1986) – sentenced to 7.5 years (17.05.2019 – 17.11.2026).
3. Tilabov Ali Tilabovich (10.07.1993) – sentenced to 14 years (10.07.2021 – 10.07.2035).
4. Oruzev Shahzod Jamshidovich (21.05.2001) – sentenced to 19 years (27.05.2021 – 27.05.2040).
5. Burhonov Shuhrat Muhamadievich (25.09.1984) – sentenced to 12.5 years (12.02.2013 – 12.08.2025).
6. Juraev Mahmadsharif Bobomurodovich (14.06.1984) – sentenced to 13 years (01.08.2023 – 01.08.2036).
7. Davlatov Farhod Saymahmadovich (07.03.1988) – sentenced to 2 years (02.09.2024 – 02.09.2026).
A particularly alarming fact is that Hasanov Jamoliddin Kamoliddinovich and Burhonov Shuhrat Muhamadievich were nearing the end of their prison terms and were expected to be released in 2025–2026. What logical sense does it make for individuals on the brink of release to incite a riot, knowing the inevitable consequences?
Why are the authorities concealing the actual number of fatalities? If this was a lawful security operation, why have the bodies and the circumstances of death not been disclosed? Why is there no video evidence showing that the victims posed a threat?
Third, most of those killed were under strict surveillance, and some were serving the final months of their sentences. Four of the deceased were on a government watchlist as “prone to escape,” meaning they were under 24/7 monitoring. How could these individuals have orchestrated a mass riot under such stringent security? How could they have coordinated an uprising while under constant supervision? These questions cast serious doubt on the official narrative.
Additionally, one of the victims was reportedly found with a headpiece bearing the insignia of the banned terrorist organization ISIS. How could such an item have entered one of the most secure prisons in the country? Who brought it in and for what purpose? This strongly suggests that evidence was deliberately planted to justify the killings.
Another critical point—photographic evidence shows that the bodies of the victims were found in close proximity to one another, indicating that the executions occurred in a single location rather than in a chaotic exchange of fire. This pattern further supports the conclusion that a mass execution took place.
Context and Motives of the Authorities
This is not the first time the Tajik authorities have staged “riots” to justify mass executions. Similar crimes were committed in 2018 and 2019. In those incidents, as in the current one, authorities declared a prison riot, yet all the supposed “rebels” were killed rather than detained. None of these cases were ever investigated.
The objectives behind these fabrications are clear:
• Eliminating politically sensitive prisoners who pose a threat to the regime.
• Intimidating society by demonstrating the brutality of state security forces.
• Covering up evidence of prior torture and extrajudicial killings that may have already occurred in the prison.
The circumstances of this massacre raise serious concerns:
• Why were the prisoners executed rather than apprehended?
• Why is the actual death toll being concealed?
• Why were individuals under strict surveillance among the deceased?
• Who authorized the use of lethal force against unarmed prisoners?
• Why are the authorities withholding surveillance footage from prison cameras?
How is it possible that every “riot” in Tajikistan’s prisons ends in mass executions? Why is it that in other countries, prison riots are contained with minimal casualties, while in Tajikistan, they invariably result in systematic mass shootings?
It is evident that a mass execution took place in Vahdat Prison, and the official narrative of a “riot” is nothing more than an attempt to cover up the crime.
Our Demands
In light of these events, the Movement for the Reforms and Development of Tajikistan (MRDT) demands:
1. An independent international investigation under the auspices of the United Nations, the European Union, and international human rights organizations to establish the true circumstances of the mass execution.
2. Accountability for all individuals involved in the crime, including the leadership of the security forces and the prison administration.
3. The immediate release of all surveillance footage from February 3, 2025. If the authorities stand by their version of events, they must provide concrete evidence.
4. Unrestricted access for independent lawyers and human rights defenders to the families of the deceased to gather comprehensive information on the incident.
5. An immediate halt to extrajudicial executions in Tajikistan’s prisons and compliance with international standards for the treatment of prisoners.
We express our deepest condolences to the families of the victims. This atrocity must not go unpunished. Without a firm international response, the Tajik authorities will continue to employ extrajudicial killings as a tool of repression.
We call on all international organizations to take urgent action against this act of mass execution and to demand justice.
Sharofiddin Gadoev
Chairman of the Movement for the Reforms and Development of Tajikistan
February 5, 2025
Amsterdam
