Press Release
Tyrant of Kazakhstan Jails a Muslim Woman for Five Years for her Claim to Rule by the Shari'ah of Allah!
(Translate)

The Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir has issued a press release dated 08/22/2013 entitled "Government of Kazakhstan Accuses a Muslim Woman of Extremism and then Punishes her for Defending her Husband" in which it addressed the trial against Sister Natalia Vatinkovu, a mother of three children, and wife to Galiulina Rafis, a member of Hizb ut Tahrir / Kazakhstan. The Court of the Kazakh city of Astana issued a decision against her, dated 07/22/2013, to remain under house arrest on charges of "distributing leaflets that call for extremism", according to Article 233, paragraph 2 of the Criminal Code of Kazakhstan. According to Kaztag Newspaper, the same court on Saturday 10/12/2013 issued a decision sentencing sister Natalia to five years to be actually spend in a reformist prison according to Article 2, paragraph 233-1 "promoting terrorism or extremism or public advocacy for terrorist acts" of the Kazakh Criminal Code YKRK. This decision was passed because she published a letter to the public opinion about the unjust decision of seven years of imprisonment which was issued against her husband on grounds of the ideas he is convinced of and calls for.

Galina Belkliova, the judge in Astana City Court (Court No. 2), mentioned that the prosecutions of Natalia and her husband have started a long time ago when her husband Galiulina Rafis was sentenced to 7 years of actual imprisonment in 2010 on charges of belonging to Hizb ut Tahrir.

The justification of the government is built on Natalia's distribution of a letter to the public opinion in which she criticized the judicial decision against her husband Galiulina Rafis issued in 2010, sentencing him to 7 years of imprisonment on charges of belonging to Hizb ut Tahrir. Rafis addressed the public opinion in Kazakhstan through an audio recording leaked from inside the prison. In it he talked about the brutal treatment of the prison administration against the detainees, especially against the Muslims amongst them, describing the methods of torture and ill-treatment of the detainees and their humiliation and restrictions against them to the degree that they were prevented from performing Islamic obligations and drawing closer to Allah through worship and good deeds. After the unjust, oppressive arrest of Rafis, the security services started pursuing Natalia, who was simply trying to lift the injustice from her husband, contacting the public opinion about the case, showing people the graveness of injustice and oppression which was imposed on him by the tyrants by inventing cases against him based on fabricated, false evidence.

In the summer of 2013, the oppressive regime filed a case against his wife Natalia and took up her prosecution, and in July 2013 she was sentenced to house arrest in her home. On the 7^th of October the court session was supposed to be held, but as usual it was postponed to Saturday 10/12/2013. Then quickly and strikingly the court sentenced Natalia to actual imprisonment of five years. The oppressors ordered her seizure in the courtroom, to leave three minor children without Deen and without a breadwinner through this unjust action.

Natalia was detained simply for defending her husband and demanding his release, because she pronounced the truth and showed the injustice done to her husband and her family. The word of truth that Natalia uttered before an oppressive ruler was declared an action of extremism!

The judicial system in Kazakhstan is corrupt and stands under the influence of President Nursultan Nazarbayev, and nepotism in the midst of the judiciary is something usual, which is the basis on which issues are dealt with. These dirty matters, such as bribery and nepotism, have become something normal and natural in the judicial system. When someone who is aware of these facts strives to establish the truth and reform the corruption, therefore talking to people about the rampant corruption in the regime's facilities and its institutions, the ruling authorities punish and prosecute such person. If then this person happens to be a Muslim, the charge will simply be "extremism and terrorism" and he is thrown into jail. The ruling authorities in Kazakhstan seed evil among people, and spread corruption and immorality, and prevent people from having honest intentions and being honorable.

Sister Natalia has no fear of these corrupt judges, before the court she said boldly that she does not consider herself guilty for defending her family and exposing governmental injustice and the evil it commits.

(وَمَا نَقَمُوا مِنْهُمْ إِلَّا أَنْ يُؤْمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ الْعَزِيزِ الْحَمِيدِ)

"And they resented them not except because they believed in Allah, the Exalted in Might, the Praiseworthy." [Al-Buruj 85:8]

Abu Hurayrah said the Messenger of Allah (saw) said:

«...إِنَّ اللَّهَ قَالَ: "مَنْ عَادَى لِي وَلِيًّا فَقَدْ آذَنْتُهُ بِالْحَرْبِ"»

"Allah said: "Who is hostile against one of my custodians, I have declared war against him..." [Reported by al-Bukhari]

The Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir