The suspected leader of an underground cell of the banned Hizb ut-Tahrir Islamic group has been arrested in Bishkek.
Kyrgyzstan's State Committee for National Security said on May 16 that the 37-year-old man from the southern region of Jalal-Abad has been charged with inciting ethnic, racial, and religious hatred, the illegal possession and distribution of extremist materials, and the premeditated use of extremist symbols.
The suspect's name was not released.
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 a number of other former Soviet republics have banned Hizb ut-Tahrir, branding its supporters as "extremists."
Since last summer, several alleged members of the banned organization have been arrested in towns across Kyrgyzstan.
Kyrgyzstan's State Committee for National Security said on May 16 that the 37-year-old man from the southern region of Jalal-Abad has been charged with inciting ethnic, racial, and religious hatred, the illegal possession and distribution of extremist materials, and the premeditated use of extremist symbols.
The suspect's name was not released.
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 a number of other former Soviet republics have banned Hizb ut-Tahrir, branding its supporters as "extremists."
Since last summer, several alleged members of the banned organization have been arrested in towns across Kyrgyzstan.
