International
rights groups have watched with concern as the countries of
Central Asia crack down on Islamic groups branded by governments
as extremist or violent. Among the targeted groups is Hizb
ut-Tahrir, a movement advocating the creation of a region-wide
Islamic caliphate and a return to Islam in its pure, original
form -- a goal shared by demonstrably radical groups like
the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, or IMU. But to date, Hezb
ut Tahrir has staged no acts of violence and its goals in
the region remain unclear. Nonetheless, scores of its members
have been arrested and sentenced to terms in prison. In the
second of a two-part series, RFE/RL reports on how individual
Central Asian governments are reacting to Hizb ut-Tahrir,
and what the group's members see as their aims in the region.
Go
to part 1.
The
governments of Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan
are united in staunchly defending their crackdown on outlawed
Islamic groups like Hizb ut-Tahrir as part of the broader
campaign against terrorism in neighboring Afghanistan. But
reaction to the perceived threat varies from country to country.
The
sense of danger is felt most keenly by the government of Uzbekistan.
This may be because -- judging by the names of Hizb ut-Tahrir
members put on trial throughout Central Asia -- the group
comprises mainly ethnic Uzbeks. Human-rights organizations
also say that prisons in Uzbekistan hold more Hizb ut-Tahrir
members than those in any other country in the region.
Acacia
Shields is a Central Asian researcher for the New York-based
organization Human Rights Watch. She said many Hizb ut-Tahrir
members find themselves in Uzbek jails because of their group's
superficial resemblance to more radical groups like the Islamic
Movement of Uzbekistan, or IMU, which have proven records
of violence.
"This
is something that is very troubling, that is, the conflation
of really disparate Islamic groups in the region. The Islamic
Movement of Uzbekistan is a distinct organization, separate
from Hizb ut-Tahrir. The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan is
a militant group, it's an armed organization based outside
of Uzbekistan, whereas Hizb ut-Tahrir is a group with members
inside the country who avow that they are nonviolent, who
have never been accused of any specific violent act, and have
never made any statements suggesting that they are in league
with the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan," Shields
said.
But
Hizb ut-Tahrir cannot be said to invite the understanding
of regional governments. Its structure is so secretive --
estimates of the group's Central Asian membership range from
several thousand to more than 100,000 -- that most people
learn of the group's members only once they are arrested and
put on trial, most often for distributing leaflets and other
types of propaganda material.
In
Uzbekistan, sentences for such activity can be stiff, ranging
from 10 to upwards of 20 years. Moreover, rights groups say,
members of banned religious groups like Hizb ut-Tahrir can
suffer severe beatings at the hands of police officers once
in detention. The issue of police torture has recently been
spotlighted in Uzbekistan, where four officers this year were
convicted for their role in the beating death of a detainee.
Tajikistan,
like Uzbekistan, has arrested, tried, and convicted dozens
-- possibly hundreds -- of alleged Hizb ut-Tahrir members.
The Tajik Interior Ministry reported last month it had apprehended
more than 20 members since the start of the year. Although
Tajik courts hand down comparable sentences to those in Uzbekistan,
their legal system is regarded as more transparent, if not
necessarily more fair.
RFE/RL
spoke to several Hizb ut-Tahrir members in Tajikistan. One,
speaking under the pseudonym Safar Jonmahmadov, said many
of his fellow members have suffered severe abuse -- and even
death -- while in police custody.
"There
was Arobidin, an agitator for Hizb ut-Tahrir. In the prison
of the [Tajik] Interior Ministry, or somewhere else, he was
tortured and died because of this torture," Jonmahmadov
said.
Another
Hizb ut-Tahrir member, using the pseudonym Navruz Soliev,
described his own arrest. He said Tajik police regularly violate
proper legal procedure when arresting members of Hizb ut-Tahrir. "The means they used against us were barbaric, even
by the standards of their own 'laws.' First, they should come
with a document. Second, they need an order from the prosecutor,
and third, they should have evidence of a crime [before making
an arrest]," Soliev said.
In
Tajikistan, Hizb ut-Tahrir faces a unique problem. The government
itself includes members of the Islamic Renaissance Party of
Tajikistan, or IRP, a splinter group that has allied itself
with some of the region's radical groups. But IRP's leader,
Said Abdullo Nuri, labeled Hizb ut-Tahrir as extremists and
added his party is doing all it can to limit the group's influence.
A
third Hizb ut-Tahrir member, who spoke under the name Kurban
Adhamov, said his group differs from groups like the IRP. "We do not agree with those who go by the means of
the IRP. We think that we will follow peaceful means until
the time when we form an Islamic caliphate, and therefore
we can not be with [the IRP]. But we are their brothers. They
understand things differently. They think they are right," Adhamov said.
Kyrgyzstan
is perhaps the mildest in its treatment of alleged Hizb ut-Tahrir
members. Sentences are no longer than 10 years, and are typically
much less. Some Hizb ut-Tahrir members, usually those caught
distributing or possessing the group's leaflets, are simply
fined after a brief detention.
A
member of Hizb ut-Tahrir living in southern Kyrgyzstan, who
asked not to be named, offered a possible explanation for
why Kyrgyz authorities have been relatively tolerant of the
group's activities. He said his group has no intention to
overthrow the government nor does it bear any ill will toward
the country's president, Askar Akaev. But, he said, his group
does believe that sooner or later the system must change.
"We
are opponents of the democratic system. We are not against
individuals if they embrace Islam and return to Allah. If
a person wants to live according to Sharia [Islamic law],
he is our brother. If he wants democracy and to live by the
laws of the 'kufr' [nonbelievers], he is then our enemy. Kufr
are our enemies. If Akaev willingly accepts Islam, and if
he imposes Islamic laws, he can sit on his throne," the Hizb ut-Tahrir member.
Such
militant remarks may be on the rise among Hizb ut-Tahrir members.
Bakhtiyar Bobojonov, an Islam specialist at the Tashkent Academy
of Sciences, said the group has undergone a philosophical
shift since the U.S.-led antiterrorism campaign began in neighboring
Afghanistan.
"After
the campaign against terrorists started in Afghanistan, the
position of Hizb ut-Tahrir changed and they became much more
radical. They are spreading leaflets and literature calling
for war and martyrdom in the war for Islam," Bobojonov
said.
Analysts
have noted that the recent growth in radical Islamic movements
in Central Asia -- particularly Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and
Kyrgyzstan -- may be explained in the chronic poverty and
lack of basic freedoms that continue to plague the region.
The
Hizb ut-Tahrir member speaking in Kyrgyzstan seems to confirm
this. Asked what role his group can play in Central Asia,
he said: "The people are tired of democracy. [All
around you,] you see unemployment, immorality. Our people
are Muslims and they all yearn for Allah and to live by his
laws."
Bruce
Pannier
