Dear friends! Mothers and fathers! Grandparents!

In October last year a terrible tragedy occurred in St. Petersburg.

Early morning 13.10.2015 St. Petersburg migration authorities and police dragged Zarina Younusova, 21, and her five month old son Umarali Nazarov out of the warmth of their home to a police station. Father of the child Rustam Nazarov was not at home at this time. At the station Umarali was torn from his mother, who does not speak Russian. The child was pulled out from resisting Zarina's hands with force breaking one of her toes. Nursing mother was first placed under custody and then transferred from the police department to the Administrative Court where she was fined for expired residence permit in Russia. During this time she was not provided with a translator, was not explained what is happening and was not given any possibility of contacting her adult relatives. A forged report was written on the child as if he was lost or abandoned. This report was being written while the father and grandmother of the child were already at the police station with all the necessary documents.

Ambulance was called for the child while he was at the police station and the medical personnel witnessed that the child is healthy. However, the child was still not given to his father or grandmother. Neither were they allowed to accompany the baby in the ambulance to the Zimbalin medical centre.

When parents were finally able to find out the location of their child, the hospital refused to report them of his condition.

Yet in the hospital waiting room the child was examined and everything was normal: no symptoms, he was babbling and smiling. In general he was a very calm, smiling, healthy, loved and long awaited baby. His young mother had been under medical surveillance of St. Petersburg doctors for some time to help her become pregnant. He was born a little before his time and somewhat underweight, but was growing and developing very well during all the 5 months of his life. 45 minutes after medical inspection in the Zimbalin health centre Umarali died.

Next morning his parents were informed through the phone that their child is dead. When his father and uncle arrived at the hospital demanding at least some kind of information, a police squad was called and Rustam and uncle were taken by the police. For three days they were still searching for the body their child around morgues. Once found they barely recognised their baby because of bruising, swelling and other damages on his body.

After two weeks Zarina Younusova was deported from Russia with the corpse of her child. Rustam Nazarov was not able to escort them unto their sorrowful journey as he himself was under the threat of deportation and his presence in St. Petersburg was required for the formal recognition of the victims in a case of a death of a child. Rustam is insisting for a full and thorough investigation of the death of his son. Not for revenge, but out of a sense of justice.

Friends! We are skipping the description of all the other challenges this family has faced, including hostility of all official and many unofficial parties, interrogations without an appropriate translator, forced transfer to the hospital for unknown tests, court trial, threats and blackmail. All of these aggressive actions were played out in front of the eyes of Rustam's underage younger brothers. None of the officials met Zarina and the body of her child at Dushanbe airport. On the contrary, she and her relatives were left uninformed about re-examination and any further actions of investigating authorities in Tajikistan for several hours at the airport.

To this day no help from Russian or Tajik government - material, medical nor emotional has been offered to the young parents who lost their child within a few hours during an inspection of documents!

The family (and dependants of Rustam also include his mother and two younger brothers, who are still living here in St. Petersburg) is left without a source of livelihood, since Rustam has lost his job in St. Petersburg and it is unknown, when he will be able to find a new job in Tajikistan. And as with many young families, they are left with unpaid debt.

News that reaches us from Tajikistan is very sad. Zarina is in a very difficult psychological state. Recently Rustam was able to travel to her. Now they are together. It is possible that their youth and love will bring them to enjoy life fully again. But it is extremely hard to return to a normal healthy life after this kind of catastrophe. Zarina (and the whole family) need help of a qualified and experienced psychologist – a specialist in providing crisis relief. It might be the case that Zarina already needs other medical help as well as she is showing symptoms of posttraumatic disorder.

Of course the family needs a permanent source of funding. That is why we are calling out to all employers in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, who can employ Rustam in this critical situation.

We are just people. This tragedy has shocked us. We teamed up during preparations for a meeting requiring comprehensive investigation into the death of Umarali. Unfortunately, the further this situation is developing, the more obvious it is that no one except us will help Zarina or the whole family.

That is why we are turning to you! We are trying to raise as much funds as possible so that Zarina can get qualified medical help: possibly the doctor will be able to reach her in their remote village or her relatives can bring her to Dushanbe. The final treatment strategy will be clear after the preliminary examination. At the moment it is difficult to estimate what it will constitute and how much it will cost.

Our help, compassion and sympathy are vital for Rustam and Zarina at this moment. Let us together not leave them alone!

We cannot return Zarina and Rustam their baby. But it is in our hands to prove them and us that good exists, that love exists, that there still are kind people around. Together with Zarina and Rustam we will conquer hate. And we remember Umarali.



As Sberbank card under the name of Rustam Nazarov is currently blocked, we opened a special account under the name of one the members of our initiative group Elena Tuomikoski. Rustam Nazarov is arranged as the manager of the account with Marina Bukina as an auditor. All collected funds will be at the family's full disposal.

Report on the funds transferred directly to the Sberbank account will be published on this website and on the FB page "Помним Умарали" [We Remember Umarali] in the form of an official bank statement.