Santa Claus killed in Dushanbe

In Dushanbe, a young man, dressed as Santa Claus, was killed by a mob of young people, shouting accusations such as “infidel,” as a senior source in the Tajik Interior Ministry disclosed. “The young man had decided to congratulate his relatives dressed up in a Santa Claus outfit. When he approached the door of his house, he was attacked by a mob of about 30 young people, shouting, “Tu kofiri” (“Infidel”), who then inflicted numerous stab wounds on Parviz from which he later died of at the hospital,” – said the source.

The authorities have admitted the fact that 24-year old Parviz Davlatbekov had been murdered, but deny that it was entirely motivated by religious hatred.