You are not Forgotten.
Berlin, Brussels (20/5 – 40)
In the vast and remote mountain lands of Central Asia, the Ismaili Pamiris have long faced systemic discrimination and persecution at the hands of the Tajik government. Despite their proud history, rich cultural traditions, and highly educated populace, they have been targeted for cultural extermination in a chilling campaign of ethnic cleansing. Tajikistan President Imomali Rahmon has demonized them as “inbred” and “criminals” and launched a brutal program to replace their community with ethnic Tajiks.
In May and June 2022, the government launched a final assault on the Pamiris to end their autonomy and bring them under the total control of the state. Heavily armed security forces rampaged into the town of Vamar, where protestors calling for respect for human rights had peacefully blocked the Pamiri Highway. There and in other towns of the Gorno-Badakhshan region (GBAO), protestors and passers-by were shot dead, maimed, and taken to prisons to be tortured and degraded.
Dokhunda Pallaev was a protestor who fled from the security forces along with five friends who hid in a house. There, they were discovered by Tajik security forces, blasted with explosives and dragged out of the house. Four were executed with close shots to the head, and one taken prisoner. According to reports, Dokhunda was killed by the security forces.
Dokhunda was from Vamar in the Rushan district of GBAO. He was buried in the Derzud cemetery, where the government has forbidden his family to place his name on his tombstone.