From February 12 to 14, 1990, there were a series of #antiArmenian riots in #Dushanbe, Tajikistan (then part of the Soviet Union), which resulted in 26 deaths.

The riot is peculiar in the history of anti-Armenian sentiment, because it was an anti-Armenian riot without #Armenians

Armenians were not among the victims, perpetrators or even by-standers.

The riot began as a demonstration against the arrival of #Baku Armenian refugees in Dushanbe who had fled pogroms in Azerbaijan in 1988 . The number of Armenian refugees was small, only 39.

However, rumours in Dushanbe put their number in the several thousands, and the particular point of outrage was the false rumour that Armenians were being given priority in housing over other ethnic groups, during a time of extreme housing shortage and over-crowding in Dushanbe.

The riot therefore had to do with the housing shortage, not Armenians, and this is why that although the first demonstrations on 12 February began with chants of "down/death with Armenians (marg bo armaniho)", the protest quickly became an anti-Soviet demonstration.

Aimed at the leadership of the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic.

To this day, most agree that the riots were orchestrated. Some say Tajik nationalists, some say Islamists, some say the KGB. Despite many inquiries and research into the topic, the answer is still not known.