Press Release

Another Verdict of the Fabricated Criminal Case against the Muslims in Russia

On 18 February 2014, the Kizlar district court in Dagestan Republic passed a sentence for Kartashov Magomed and Abdulmuminov Murad. The Muslims were sentenced under Article 318 Part 1 CC RF (violence against government authorities) to 3 years of imprisonment in a correctional labour settlement.

We would like to remind that the criminal case was initiated when on 27 April 2013 a wedding procession in Kizlar was detained. The Muslims who proceeded to the wedding were beaten and taken to the Regional Department of Internal Affairs. According to the police officers themselves, the reason for the detention was the command "from above", and then the press service of the Interior Ministry of Dagestan spread lies about a "breakout attempt" of the convoy with Hizb ut Tahrir members. Moreover, the four injured Muslims were accused of beating of the police officers. Two other detained Muslims namely Mikatov Mikat and Suleymanov Shapi were sentenced to 3 years of imprisonment.

During the entire process, the judge supported the lies of the police officers and ignored the facts of the numerous contradictions of the prosecution witnesses. He also paid no attention to the two experts' conclusion that the allegedly beaten police officers had no traces of beatings. The judge overlooked the loss of the video from the place of so-called crime, for which the police were responsible. But when the defense showed a video filmed by one of the wedding guests to the court, on which one could clearly watch that the accused Kartashov was beaten by the police officers, the judge simply "did not notice" the fact that denied all the evidence of the prosecution. This was the most striking evidence of judge's bias and his bow with the prosecution.

It is known that the accused Muslims sincerely called to Islam and protected it. In particular, Magomed Kartashov was among the organizers of the rally in defense of Islam and the Muslims. Thus, it becomes apparent that it is not a criminal but a political persecution of the Muslims who call actively to Islam and protect its values. The court has once again demonstrated its dependence on the authorities and proved the injustice of taghut.

Almighty Allah (swt) says:

*وَلَا تَحْسَبَنَّ اللَّـهَ غَافِلًا عَمَّا يَعْمَلُ الظَّالِمُونَ ۚ إِنَّمَا يُؤَخِّرُهُمْ لِيَوْمٍ تَشْخَصُ فِيهِ الْأَبْصَارُ)

(مُهْطِعِينَ مُقْنِعِي رُءُوسِهِمْ لَا يَرْتَدُّ إِلَيْهِمْ طَرْفُهُمْ ۖ وَأَفْئِدَتُهُمْ هَوَاءٌ

"Do not consider Allah to be unaware of what the wrongdoers perpetrate. He is merely deferring them to a Day on which their sight will be transfixed, rushing headlong - heads back, eyes vacant, hearts hollow." [TMQ 14:42-43]

Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir in Russia