The special military operation that commenced in eastern Tajikistan on September 22 after an armed attack on a military convoy, which killed 28 servicemen, continued in early January. On January 4, representatives of Tajikistan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs reported that eight members of Alovuddin Davlatov’s armed gang, including the leader himself, were killed. The special operation was considered a success, but at the same time raised questions about the way the bodies of the eliminated militants are treated.

The armed gang of Davlatov, also known in Tajikistan as “Ali Bedaki” is, together with the gang of Mullo Abdullo, accused of “especially grave crimes” and is considered responsible for the attack on a military convoy in the Rasht Valley in September 2010. The presence of the Ali Bedaki gang has subjected the whole region to considerable stress over the last three months. As reported by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the gang put up massive armed resistance. Nonetheless, as a result of the military operation eight members, including Davlatov, were eliminated and one captured alive. In addition, ten guns, two machineguns, a grenade launcher, a sniper rifle and a large amount of ammunition were seized on the site of the skirmish.

The head of the MIA press centre stated that the special military operation is not yet concluded, as a threat remains that the gang of Mullo Abdullo “can anytime destabilize the situation” in the Rasht Valley. In fact, the success of the operation could also be assigned to Tajikistan’s defense and law enforcement agencies’ successful cooperation with Mirzohudja Ahmadov. Ahmadov was accused of participating in the attack on the military convoy in September, but laid down his arms and offered to cooperate in neutralizing illegal gangs several weeks later after negotiations with government representatives.

During the special military operation in eastern Tajikistan at least 33 militants were killed. At the same time, at least 40 state servicemen, not including the ones that died during the attack on the convoy in September, were killed. Local mass media state that “the state should learn the lessons of the last events in Rasht and make an effort not to let similar situations occur again”. Some local observers think that stability in the Rasht region will in the future depend on the extent to which the agreements between the government and Ahmadov that were reached in October will be followed.

Meanwhile, local media disseminated information that the bodies of the killed members of the Ali Bedaki gang have disappeared from the morgue of the city hospital in Garm, where they were kept. Relatives of the killed militants came to the hospital on January 7 to pick up their bodies, but were told by doctors that further examination was necessary and that the bodies would be returned the next day. However, on the next day representatives of the hospital claimed that the bodies had disappeared from the hospital, with no further explanation.

For several days the relatives of the killed militants tried to reveal what had happened to the bodies. Finally, representatives of the MIA stated that the bodies of the members of the Ali Bedaki gang “will not be given to the relatives in accordance with the law, under which the bodies of killed terrorists are not given out”. They also stated that the relatives will not be informed about the place of their burial.

These statements gave rise to some discussion among local experts. First, it is unclear on which grounds the authorities call the killed members of the gang terrorists. The militants were not charged with terrorism, and are not yet recognized as terrorists. Thus, at the moment there is no legal basis for applying the quoted legislation to these militants. Second, it is unclear which law the MIA representatives are referring to. According to independent lawyer and human rights activist Shukhrat Kudratov, there is no law in Tajikistan stipulating how the bodies of terrorists should be treated. He stated that there is a law “On fighting terrorism”, which contains an article stipulating responsibility for terrorist activities. This law, however, contains no provisions regarding the bodies of dead terrorists. Thus, it seems that the norm mentioned by the MIA has no real basis in Tajikistan’s national legislation.

Tajikistan’s continued military operations in the Rasht region and the way state authorities deal with eliminated or captured militants is therefore a balancing act. On the one hand, the elimination of armed gangs in the region will hopefully bring peace and stability to the Rasht valley and Tajikistan in general. On the other, “unreasonable” treatment of the killed militants may cause discontent not only among their relatives but also among the wider public, which expects militants to be allowed at least a proper burial, regardless of their charges.