SGB detains four members of Hizb ut-Tahrir

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) -- Four activists of the religious-extremist organization Hizb ut-Tahrir were detained by officers of the State Security Service (SGB), the press service of the Service said.

Propagandists of Hizb ut-Tahrir, banned in Uzbekistan, resided in Tashkent city and capital region.

It was revealed that three detained persons were jailed for theft in 1999-2006. They were recruited to extremist organization in the prison.

After release, they began to actively propagate the ideology of Hizb ut-Tahrir among relatives and friends. Later, to increase the number of supporters, they began distributing leaflets with radical appeals and posting materials of anti-constitutional content on the Internet.

Based on the collected evidences, the Investigation Department of the State Security Committee opened criminal proceedings under Article 244-2 of the Criminal Code (Establishment, leadership, participation in religious extremist, separatist, fundamentalist or other prohibited organizations).

Currently, the investigation is underway and possible accomplices of detainees are being identified.