Hizb Ut-Tahrir Accuses Kyrgyzstan Of 'Assassinating' Imam

The body of Rafiq Qori Kamoluddin is carried through the streets of Karu-Suu on August 7 (RFE/RL) PRAGUE, August 8, 2006 (RFE/RL) – A radical Islamist grouping has condemned what it calls the "brutal murder" of an ethnic Uzbek imam by Kyrgyz security forces, who accuse the cleric of having been a terrorist .

In a statement released from its London headquarters on August 7, Hizb ut-Tahrir describes Rafiq Qori Kamoluddin's killing as an "extrajudicial assassination."

Kamoluddin was known for allowing members of Hizb ut-Tahrir, which is banned in Kyrgyzstan and much of Central Asia, to pray at his mosque in the southern town of Kara-Suu. But he openly disagreed with the views of the group, which advocates the establishment of Islamic rule via nonviolent means.

The Kyrgyz authorities claim the imam was a wanted terrorist and that he was killed while resisting arrest.

Kamoluddin, also known as Muhammadrafiq Kamalov, was shot dead on August 6 in what was reportedly a joint Kyrgyz-Uzbek security sweep.

Hizb ut-Tahrir says the slaying shows that the Kyrgyz leadership is following in the footsteps of Uzbek President Islam Karimov.

Karimov has been cracking down on all forms of religious dissent for many years, jailing members of nonofficial religious groups on charges that rights groups say are often fabricated.

Relatives and followers deny the official account of events.

Hundred of followers attended Kamoluddin's funeral on August 7 in Kara-Suu.