Kyrgyz Hizb ut-Tahrir 'Leader' Arrested

By RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service
August 27, 2012
 
Officials in Kyrgyzstan's southern Jalal-Abad region say a branch of the banned Hizb-ut-Tahrir organization has been discovered in the region and an alleged leader of the group detained on August 26.
 
Another alleged member of the group was hospitalized as he felt unwell during the arrest.
 
Police found books and CDs with extremist content, officials said.
 
Investigations have been launched into the alleged "calls to overthrow Kyrgyzstan’s constitutional government and spreading extremist ideas."
 
Hizb-ut-Tahrir is an international Sunni political party that seeks to unite all Muslim countries into an Islamic caliphate.
 
It says it uses peaceful means to pursue its goals but has been banned by many countries in which it is active, including Kyrgyzstan.
 
With reporting by Interfax