Press Release
The fruit of the tyrant Karimov's visit to Brussels: Two members of Hizb ut-Tahrir matryed by the butchers of Karimov and NATO

A mere week after the visit of the tyrant Islam Karimov to Brussels, his torture and repression of Muslims in Uzbekistan continues unabated. Karimov went to Brussels and meet with NATO Secretary-General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the European Commission President, José Manuel Barroso, and EU Energy Commissioner Gunther Oettinger. He was given a red-carpet welcome and promised more financial aid in appreciation of his efforts in fighting terrorism.

 Less than a week later the administration of the infamous Yaslik prison in Uzbekistan delivered two corpses of members of Hizb ut-Tahrir  - one from the city of Andijan and the other from Ferghana - claiming that they had died from heart disease.

 The administration of Yaslik prison also randomly increased the prison terms of other members whose sentence was nearing its end. One member, Shukrullah, was given sixteen more years, whilst another, Shaukat, was given another three, and both were transferred to an ex-offenders prison.

 At other prisons such as Navoi, prison administrations have started giving prisoners from the members of Hizb ut-Tahrir medications and forcing them to take it in front of prison guards. These medications have ‘made in America' written on them and they resemble bread dough in their colour and form. It has been noted by prisoners that whoever takes this medication more than once begins to lose their strength and sensorial ability day-by-day. From among these prisoners are those who have memorised the noble Qur'an, which they memorized in their long stay in prison.

 It has also been noted that many prisoners go beyond simply losing strength and sensorial ability, and lose their sanity. They are then transferred to state-run hospitals.

 This is but part of the horrifying reality of what happens under Karimov in Uzbekistan; a reality of which Western leaders are well aware. Western governments have not forgotten at all the massacre of thousands in Andijan in 2005. However they justify turning a blind eye to Karimov's crimes on grounds of it being a cheap and necessary price to pay for the continuation of their alliance with him in the invasion of Afghanistan.

 It seems difficult for those who have built their civilization on the massacre of the Red Indians in America, and those who persisted in supporting tyrants in Egypt, Tunisia, Pakistan and other Muslim lands for decades, to properly criticise or sever ties with Karimov. Nonetheless will they have no shame at all given their claims of democratic values and human rights of which they sing day and night?! Or is hypocrisy a basic tenet of their wretched imperial thought?!

 In any case, Hizb ut-Tahrir  has not and will not depend on these people for anything. Its members have a covenant with Allah to believe in Him and rely on Him. They will not relent or soften, by the Will of Allah, in fighting falsehood and its patrons until Allah (swt) gives victory to this Ummah, and He is the best of liberators.

 "Allah has ordained, "I shall most certainly prevail, I and My messengers!". Indeed Allah is Strong, Mighty."

Osman Bakhach
Director of The Central Media Office of Hizb ut-Tahrir