Press Release
Nazarbayev’s Regime Continues to Imprison Muslims

On 14 December, in the Pavlodar Court № 2, Judge Akhmetova issued a verdict on Ruslan Ginatulin, (age 34), accused of committing a crime, the responsibility for which is provided by Part 3 of Article 235 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan (the CC of RK) (“Participation in a criminal association”) and Part 1 of Article 174 of the CC of RK (“A deliberate action aimed at inciting national hatred using the mass media”) – 6 years of imprisonment in a strict-regime prison colony. The announcement of the verdict passed in the absence of Ruslan’s lawyer. Brother Ruslan was arrested in June 2016.

The verdict states that Ginatulin is involved in the activities of a banned organization Hizb ut-Tahrir, and that he remains an active member in the party and works to add new members in its ranks.

Our brother Ruslan joined the call of Hizb ut Tahrir in the beginning of the year 2000. At that time in Kazakhstan, as well as in neighboring countries, there began the strong repressions and mass arrests of the Shabab of Hizb ut Tahrir. But in spite of that Ruslan accepted the culture of the Hizb and became an active dawah (call) carrier which led to being repeatedly arrested, convicted and thrown into the tyrant’s prisons.

In 2010 he was sentenced to two years in prison after being convicted under Article 164 of the CC of RK (“Incitement of social, national, tribal, racial or religious hatred”), Article 337 (“Organizing or participating in the activity of illegal public and other associations”) of the CC of RK.

The criminal regime of Kazakhstan struggles openly against Islam and Muslims, and especially against the Hizb’s Shabab. Authorities use lies and deception in order to denigrate the reputation of Hizb ut Tahrir. In refuting the slanders by the regime, we state the following:

1. Hizb ut Tahrir is a political party whose ideology is Islam. The party works within and with the Ummah to resume an Islamic lifestyle through the establishment of the Khilafah "Caliphate" (Caliphate) by the method of Prophethood.

2. The method of Hizb ut Tahrir in achieving its goal is the method of Prophet Muhammad (saw), it is an ideological and political work. Hizb ut Tahrir does not use violence in any country to achieve its goals and its activity carried out from the date of its foundation in 1953 until today, testifies to this.

3. Hizb ut Tahrir has media offices throughout the world, where any person may ask questions about the Hizb’s culture and its method. The Internet is filled with the official sites of the party, which includes its literature and culture.

4. In conclusion, we want to say, no matter how harsh the criminal regime struggles against Islam and the Muslims, Allah Almighty will save the Muslims and grant them victory. Allah Almighty says in His Noble Book:

(وَكَانَ حَقًّا عَلَيْنَا نَصْرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ)

“and incumbent upon Us was support of the believers” [ar-Rum: 47].

The Central Media Office
of Hizb ut Tahrir