Alleged Hizb Ut-Tahrir Members Arrested In Kyrgyzstan

OSH, Kyrgyzstan — Nine alleged members of the banned Hizb ut-Tahrir Islamic group have been arrested in Kyrgyzstan’s southern province of Osh.

Jenish Ashirbaev, a spokesman for the Osh Regional Interior Affairs Department, told RFE/RL on June 13 that the suspects were arrested in the town of Kara-Suu on June 12.

Ashirbaev said police found extremist books, brochures, DVDs, and leaflets in the suspects’ homes.

Hizb ut-Tahrir is a London-based Sunni political organization that seeks to unite all Muslim countries into an Islamic caliphate.

The Kyrgyz government and other former Soviet republics have banned Hizb ut-Tahrir, branding its supporters as “extremists.”

Since last summer, several alleged members of the banned group have been arrested across Kyrgyzstan.

Source : rferl.org