Killing of Tajik Boy in Moscow Sparks Debate About Motive |
On the morning of Tuesday, December 16, a ninth grader entered a secondary school in the village of Gorki-2, located outside Moscow, armed with pepper spray and a knife. At the school, the 15-year-old perpetrator, identified as Timofey K., stabbed a 10-year-old boy to death and injured several others before being apprehended by police.
The victim was quickly identified as a Tajik national named Kobiljon Aliev, who had come to Russia with his mother three years earlier. The attack has since been described as one fueled by ethnic hatred and has sparked outrage both among international human rights organizations and in Tajikistan. Tajik authorities have demanded a comprehensive investigation into the attack and have summoned the Russian ambassador in Dushanbe.
Meanwhile, coverage of the attack in both media and official outlets has largely omitted mentions of the victim’s nationality, as well as other key details, avoiding any reference to possible ethnic motives.
A Question of Nationality
One interpretation of the attack suggests that Timofey’s primary target was a math teacher who had reportedly reprimanded him for poor academic........