Press Release
The Judicial Circuit 16 is taking the same arbitrary course as its predecessor Judicial Circuit 9
(Translated)

In the beginning Shabab of Hizb ut Tahrir in the Wilayah of Turkey were detained under the charge of distributing a statement which was titled: "A Call from Hizb ut Tahrir to the Islamic Ummah and particularly the people of power within it" in the Haji Bayram Masjid on the 9th of September 2005. They were then imprisoned by the court that they were presented to and remained imprisoned for a period of time before being released. At the end of the trial that lasted ten years they were sentenced to prison, with suspension, for 18 months and this applied to Yaseen Babayit, Arhan Turan, Ilhami Ouzjan, Husein Sayfran, Auzhan Akbulat, Murad Albasan, Aytikin Damirtash, Sarkan Altin Ordo, Qaadir Karatash and Kazhim Yaldirim whilst 10 month sentences were handed to each of Muhammad Arsalan, Birkan Ashkul, Sadat Yaag, Arjan Karaja and Binyamin Swimaji. As such the rulings spanned 15 Shabab and their collective sentence was equal to 19 years.

Hizb ut Tahrir has been continuing its activities in Turkey as an Islamic political party since the start of 1960. Since that date and until this current day and in spite of the constitution changing twice and the consecutive passing of 36 different governments and tens of appropriate laws, in spite of that, the punitive measures against Hizb ut Tahrir have not changed. In accordance to the current laws, there is no legal justification requiring the banning of the activities of Hizb ut Tahrir or for the imposition of punishments against its members and those who are affiliated to it.

Despite that sentences of 1000's of years have been passed against hundreds of the Shabab of Hizb ut Tahrir by the verdict of the judicial Criminal Circuit 9 that are not in conformity to any of the fundamental principles of the laws. After judicial rectifications that have been made in recent years the jurisdiction of the Criminal Circuit 9 was transferred to the Penal Circuit 16. This is in the case where the Judicial Criminal Circuit 16 confirmed the aforementioned verdict by proceeding upon the same bad steps and course as its predecessor in respect to passing arbitrary verdicts. If this wasn't the case then it would not be possible to explain its continuing upon the Ijtihad (process of thinking and deduction) of the criminal circuit 9, which is well known in respect to who it serves, and to explain why it has not cancelled this strange Ijtihad.

Therefore the criminal Judicial Circuit (court) 16 has two paths before it: It can either proceed in accordance to the same steps and course as its predecessor and continue with judicial oppression by taking decisions that are away from the rights and politics or it can undertake intellectual and political actions alone and put a stop to the judicial oppression that is applied upon the Shabab of Hizb ut Tahrir who are following the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saw) and working to revive the Islamic Ummah once again.

In addition to this warning of ours it is necessary upon everyone to know this fact and it is that the Shabab of Hizb ut Tahrir will never hesitate to say the word of truth and condemn the Munkar (evil) before the tyrants and oppressors. This is because they have all made a covenant upon this before Allah 'Azza Wa Jalla and they will fulfil their oath and covenant until the time that the rightly guided Khilafah "Caliphate" upon the methodology of the Prophethood is established once again. They combine their nights to their days to accomplish that and by the permission of Allah (swt) no decision against them or act of oppression will ever prevent them from following this path of goodness.

[وَلَا تَحْسَبَنَّ اللَّـهَ غَافِلًا عَمَّا يَعْمَلُ الظَّالِمُونَ إِنَّمَا يُؤَخِّرُهُمْ لِيَوْمٍ تَشْخَصُ فِيهِ الْأَبْصَارُ]

"And don't ever think that Allah is unaware of what the wrongdoers do. He only delays them for a Day when eyes will stare [in horror]" [Ibrahim: 42].

Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir
in Wilayah Turkey