Deconstructing communal violence during the civil war in Tajikistan

During the first year of the civil war in Tajikistan, from mid 1992 to early 1993, communal fighting claimed many lives. The killing of individuals, families and entire collective farms was systematic and the victims were chosen according to their communal identity. One of the groups targeted for killings were the Pamiris, also known as the Badakhshanis. ¹ The killings were not merely collateral civilian casualties in a military campaign, but well-organised mass murder. In this chapter I will show that while discrimination against the Pamiris has historical roots, the catalyst that led to the massacre of the Pamiris in Tajikistan in 1992–3 was in part due to the involvement of Pamiris in the struggle for political power following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Far from being powerless victims, the Pamiris were fully involved in the political struggle between various factions from different regions of the country. When the Pamiri political and military factions lost the war, the entire Pamiri population paid a horrific price.