KHUJAND, March 29, Asia-Plus — Two residents of Khujand, Sughd province have been detained on suspicion of being members o the outlawed religious Hizb ut-Tahrir organization, Asia-Plus has learned at the Sughd police directorate.
The source at the Sughd police directorate said that officers from the Bobojonghafurov police department detained two alleged Hizb ut-Tahrir members in Ghafurov, administrative center of the Bobojonghafurov district on March 26. The proved to be residents of Khujand – the 33-year-old Abdurauf Mahmadkarimov and the 58-year-old Mukhtor Ahmadov.
They face charges under Article 307 of Tajikistan Criminal Code — calls for the violent overthrow of the government.
We will recall that the Supreme Court on March 11 formally labeled the banned Hizb ut-Tahrir Islamist group as an “extremist organization.” The ruling followed a request submitted to the court by Tajik chief prosecutor. Although the group has been outlawed in Tajikistan since 2000, the ruling means even tighter restrictions on Hizb ut-Tahrir’s presence on the Internet and its use of media to promote its ideology.
