Hundreds of Tajiks Gather to Mourn Boy Killed in Moscow

Despite freezing temperatures, hundreds of people from across Tajikistan attended the funeral of 10-year-old Qobiljon Aliyev, who was fatally stabbed in a xenophobic school attack in Odintsovo, Russia's Moscow region.

Qobiljon was scheduled to return home on December 17, but a 15-year-old Russian teen attacked him the day before, leaving him with fatal injuries, The Caspian Post reports via Tajik media.

The boy was laid to rest on December 18 in his native village of Ajam, Shahrinav district, under strict security measures, with journalists restricted from freely photographing or filming the ceremony.

During the farewell, Qobiljon’s grieving mother invited mourners into her home to pray for her son’s soul.

The tragic incident has sparked widespread mourning and calls for justice across Tajikistan.