Amnesty: TJ Pamiri minority systemic discrimination overlooked crisis

The report states that Tajikistani authorities are perpetuating systemic discrimination and severe human rights violations against the Pamiri minority in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO), home to several ethnic groups mostly practising the Shia Ismaili branch of Islam. It states that Pamiris are denied official recognition as a minority, are regarded as ethnic Tajiks by central authorities, and face suppression of cultural and religious institutions, political oppression and brutal reprisals for defending their rights. The report states that central authorities have promoted a state-sponsored culture of prejudice against Pamiris, particularly Ismailis, leading to the suppression of Pamiri languages in media, education and public life, exclusion from state administration and security posts, and destruction of local businesses. It states that security agencies including the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the State Committee for National Security have significantly increased their presence in GBAO, setting up armed cordons and patrolling Khorugh. The report states that tensions erupted following the November 2021 killing of Pamiri figure Gulbiddin Ziyobekov — evidence points to an unlawful killing that may amount to extrajudicial execution — with security forces firing on peaceful protesters in Khorugh, killing two and injuring around a dozen. It states that a second outbreak in May 2022 saw dozens of Pamiris killed, including informal leader Mamadbokir Mamadbokirov, and that more than 200 human rights defenders, dissenters and figures such as journalist Ulfatkhonim Mamadshoeva and lawyers Faromuz Irgashev and Manuchehr Kholiknazarov were arbitrarily detained, with the latter three receiving 21-, 29- and 15-year sentences in secret trials. It states that reports of torture, including electric shocks and sleep deprivation, were common during the 2021–2022 crackdown.