DUSHANBE, August 11, 2012, Asia-Plus – More than 500 young people gathered at Vahdat (Unity Square) in Khorog, the capital of the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO) on the early morning of August 11.  They tried to draw the authorities’ attention to the incident that took place near the village of Bidurt on August 10.

One person was killed and two others were wounded as government soldier fired at a minivan near the village of Bidurt, some 5 kilometers of Khorog.

According to Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service, an official source at the GBAO prosecutor’s office says criminal proceedings have been instituted to investigate the incident.  The source, however, noted that the minivan driver was to blame for the incident.  “He ignored an order to stop and continued driving,” the source said.

Meanwhile, a source at the Khorog police department told Asia-Plus that the driver did not react to the order to stop at once.  “He stopped the vehicle little far from the checkpoint and began to back it, while one of soldiers fired at the minivan,” said the source.  “As a result of firing, one of the passengers – Vohid Jumatbekov, 21 – was killed and two other passengers (both of them are customs officers) – Vafonazar Abdurahimov, 30, and Rashid Shodmonbekov, 25 – were wounded.  They are currently in hospital.”

RFE/RL’s Tajik Service reported on August 11 that 200 government troops have left Khorog.  Snipers have reportedly also left their positions.