Umarali Issatowitsch Kuwatow

Umarali Issatowitsch Kuwatow

Umarali Issatowitsch Kuwatow ( Tajik Умаралӣ Қувватов Umaralij Quwwatow; born November 21, 1968 in Dushanbe , Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic , USSR ; † March 5, 2015 in Istanbul , Turkey ) was a Tajik businessman, founder and leader of the opposition movement "24".

Career

Kuwatow grew up in an orphanage . He worked for a while as a grinder , later devoted himself to entrepreneurial activity. The company he founded imported liquid gas , fuels and building materials to Tajikistan . Between 2001 and 2012 he supplied the NATO troops in Afghanistan with fuel and lubricants . From 2003 to 2013 Kuwatow founded and managed the company " Totschiron ", which specialized in the export of oil and gas.

Political activities

In the summer of 2012, Kuwatow emigrated to Moscow , where he continued to work as an entrepreneur. According to his own account, he had to leave the country under pressure from the Tajik government. In the same year he called the opposition movement "Group 24" into being. At the radio conferences on the Internet radio station "New Tajikistan 2" ( Russian "Новый Таджикистан-2" ) Kuwatov constantly took up the political and economic grievances in Tajikistan. He harshly criticized President Emomalij Rahmon's policies and called on the people to organize mass protests and overthrow the government.

In December 2012 Kuwatov was accused by his former business partner Fajsullo Gulomov of embezzling several million dollars in his position as head of Tochiron. The allegation of alleged embezzlement was confirmed in January 2013 by the anti-corruption agency of Tajikistan. When the Tajik leadership applied for Kuwatov's extradition, he fled to Dubai on December 23, 2012 . He was arrested at Dubai Airport while trying to fly on to Brussels . Kuwatov was not extradited to Tajikistan, but was released in September 2013.

In December 2014, Kuwatow fled to Turkey and tried to apply for political asylum through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees . Upon his arrival, he was arrested by Turkish security authorities because of the invalid visa. The Turkish side rejected an extradition request from the Tajik officials. Kuwatov was released on February 3.

assassination

According to Turkish media reports, Kuwatov's assassination had been planned several months earlier. The Tajik citizen Suleiman Kajumov posed as a Kuwatov supporter and invited him and family members to dinner in his apartment, where Kuwatov was shot in the back of the head. His wife and children suffered food poisoning. The accused Kayumov was charged and sentenced to life imprisonment. Two other murder suspects (both citizens of Tajikistan) were able to flee Turkey and are searched for the Interpol line by international arrest warrant . For security reasons, their names are not disclosed.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ РИА Новости: Биография Умарали Кувватова. March 6, 2015, accessed November 21, 2018 (Russian). 
2. ↑ Лидер таджикской оппозиционной "Группы-24" Умарали Куватов задержан в Дубае. Retrieved November 21, 2018 . 
3. ↑ Мехрангез Турсунзода: Верховный суд Таджикистана объявил "Группу 24" экстремистской Верховный суд Таджикистана [ October 9, 2014, accessed November 21, 2018 (Russian). 
4. ↑ Глава компании " Точирон ": " Кувватов должен отвечать перед законом " . In: Радио Озоди . ( ozodi.org [accessed November 21, 2018]).
5. ↑ Умарали Кувватов: на перепутье . In: Радио Озоди . ( ozodi.org [accessed November 21, 2018]).
6. ↑ Tajikistan Opposition Leader Kuvvatov Facing New Dangers. Retrieved November 21, 2018 . 
7. ^ Tajik opposition leader murdered . In: BBC News . March 6, 2015 ( bbc.com [accessed November 21, 2018]).
8. ↑ Убийство Умарали Кувватова в Стамбуле. Реакция из Душанбе … ФОТО . In: Радио Озоди . ( ozodi.org [accessed November 21, 2018]).