Garmi people

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Garmi people
Total population	90,000 (est.)
Regions with significant populations	Tajikistan
Language	Tajik
Religion	Sunni Islam
Related ethnic groups	Other Iranian peoples

The Garmi, or Gharmi people (Tajik: Ғармӣ), originate from the Rasht Valley in central Tajikistan. From the 1920s to 1955 there was a Garm oblast in Tajikistan, and henceforth people from central Tajikistan were known as Garmis. During the 1950s many Garmis were forced to migrate from central Tajikistan to the Vakhsh River Valley in western Tajikistan. Garmis were in large excluded from government positions which were dominated by individuals from Khujand and Kulob. Garmis who settled in Qurgenteppa are frequently described as a clan group that found social niches in education and the marketplace. ^[1] After Tajikistan became independent in 1991, many Garmis participated in protests against the government.^[2] When the Civil War of Tajikistan broke out in 1992 a large number of Garmis joined the DPT-IRP opposition.^[3] The organization Human Rights Watch among others, reported that Garmis were targeted for execution, disappearances, mass killings, and Garmi villages were burnt. ^{[3] [4] [5][6]} During the fall and winter of 1992 as many as 90,000 Garmis and Pamiris were expelled from their homes and found refugee in Afghanistan in a campaign described by the United States Department of State as a pogrom.^[7] This was followed by heavy fighting in the Rasht Valley between government and opposition forces that led to the destruction of villages, ^{[6] [7]}. There is evidence that rape was used by both sides during this campaign.^[7]

[edit] References

1. ^ Edward W. Walker (Spring 2006). Ethnic War, Holy War, War O. War: Does The Adjective Matter In Explaining Collective Political Violence?. Berkeley Program in Soviet and Post-Soviet Studies Working Paper Series. Retrieved on 9th November, 2006.
2. ^ Tajikistan: Refugee Reintegration And Conflict Prevention. Open Society Institute (1998). Retrieved on 2nd November, 2006.
3. ^ ^{a b} Human Rights Watch World Report: Tajikistan. Human Rights Watch (1994). Retrieved on 2nd November, 2006.
4. ^ Dilip Hiro. Between Marx and Muhammad, HarperCollins. (London, 1995).
5. ^ Ahmed Rashid. The Resurgence of Central Asia. Oxford University Press. Karachi. 1994
6. ^ ^{a b} Human Rights Questions: Human Rights Situations And Reports Of Special Rapporteurs And Representatives. United Nations (24 October 1996). Retrieved on 9th November, 2006.
7. ^ ^{a b c} Tajikistan Human Rights Practices, 1993. U.S. Department of State (31st January1994). Retrieved on 9th November, 2006.