DUSHANBE, February 20, 2013, Asia-Plus – Russian human rights activist Nikolai Nikolayev considers that an attempt on Bakhtiyor Sattori’s life was politically motivated.

According to him, Bakhtiyor Sattori was with him and another member of Russian opposition Denis Bilunov in café in Moscow on January 23, when some eight armed persons entered the café.  “There were officers from the Federal Security Service (FSB) among them,” said Nikolayev.  “They took us to the police station where they questioned us separately.”

It later turned out that they were interested mainly in Bakhtiyor Sattori, Nikolayev said.  According to him, police officers asked Sattori what he has to do with the Tajik opposition, why he is carrying on an active correspondence in Facebook, criticizing the Tajik government.  “They released us after thorough questioning,” Nikolayev said.

He also noted that he had a telephone conversation with Bakhtiyor Sattori on the day when Sattori was attacked.  “We discussed the case of Umarali Quvatov, who was arrested in Dubai at the request of the Tajik authorities, and some policy documents on which Sattori was working,” Nikolayev noted.

Nikolai Nikolayev is an aide to Umarali Quvatov.

Bakhtiyor Sattori had reportedly worked as spokesman for Tajik migration service agency’s office in Moscow in recent years.  He got the Russian citizenship.  He was fired last year for unknown reasons and he released an open letter to Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, asking to reinstate him in office.  Later he joined Group 24 formed by Umarali Quvatov.

Umarali Quvatov was arrested in Dubai on December 23, 2012 on a Tajik extradition request.  He claims that he was instrumental in setting up the vast network of companies controlled by Rahmon''s relatives and political cronies, while Tajikistan accuses him of carrying out fraud worth 1.2 million U.S. dollars.

Quvatov first made headlines in the summer of 2012 when he fled Tajikistan for Moscow.  There he formed an organization called Group 24, which he claims is a new political movement opposed to Rahmon.  Tajik Prosecutor-General Sherkhon Salimzoda told journalists on January 9 that Dushanbe is seeking Quvatov''s extradition but did not specify any possible charges against him.

We will recall that Tajik journalist Bakhtiyor Sattori, former spokesman for Tajik migrations service agency’s office in Russia, was hospitalized overnight between February 19 and 20 with multiple stab wounds in Moscow.

According to information received from representatives of Tajik Diaspora in Moscow, unidentified persons attacked Bakhtiyor Sattori at around 11:00 pm and inflicted multiple stab wounds on him.

Bakhtiyor Sattori is currently at hospital # 7 of the Kolomenskiy district, Moscow oblast and physicians say that he is in critical condition.

The cause of the attack is still unknown.