Press Release
Martyrdom of Sister Nilofar Rahim Janav in "Zengeota" Prison
(إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ إِخْوَةٌ)
"The believers are but brothers" [Al-Hujurat: 10]
(Translated)

"Ozodlik" radio announced that Sister Nilofar Rahim Janav was martyred in Zengeota Prison in the region of Tashkent in Uzbekistan on the 14th of this September; she was 37 years of age, and a mother of four children.

Nilofar was arrested in 2012 on charges of exceeding the limits in violation of the Terrorism Act when she was on a visit to her relatives in Uzbekistan. She was imprisoned for 10 years. Her (may Allah have mercy on her soul, bi'thinallah) husband, Sa'eed Younus Staravche, an active opposition lawyer, said that she was buried straight away within six hours in a cemetery in Tashkent on the order of the authorities. Prison officials did not explain the circumstances of her death.

In Uzbekistan, this Muslim country, where some 24.5 million individuals reside, Muslims constitute (according to official statistics) 88%, while 9% are Orthodox Christians, and 3% are followers of other religions.

In the first years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, people - especially young people - were increasingly drawn to learn about Islam from the original sources of the Quran and Sunnah, since their souls yearned to return to the Deen of Islam after years of communist rule. However, the oppressive regime which inherited the injustice of the collapsing communist state considered these changes as negative, so it adopted a violent policy against the Deen, and pursued a tyrannical repressive approach against Muslims, and did not observe concerning them any pact of kinship or covenant of protection, and in this it did not differentiate between a man and a woman. Thus, many Dawah carriers were arrested as well as other pious and pure Muslim women solely because they were Muslims, and they were thrown in jail on feeble grounds and in difficult and severe conditions. The most basic requirements of living were not available, which leads to weakness and general deterioration in health and suffering from some chronic diseases because of humidity and lack of exposure to the sun, not to mention the torture and cruelty, which sometimes lead to martyrdom, as what happened to sister Nilofar.

We in the Women's Section of the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir ask Allah (swt) for mercy and forgiveness for our sister in Islam, Nilofar, and say to the tyrant Karimov and his criminal regime: Behold, the Day of Reckoning is near, by the will of Allah the Almighty, the state of oppression lasts for an hour and the truth remains to the end of time. Allah (swt) never breaks His Promise.

We will not forget your crimes of torturing Muslim women and specially the Dawah carriers from Hizb ut Tahrir through inhumane methods of arrests and abuse. We say to our sister's husband and her children: Although the oppressors everywhere are making it difficult on the Muslims to adhere to the Laws of Allah (swt), without distinguishing between men and women, the relief of Allah (swt) is near and He (swt) will avenge you from the criminals who are spiteful of Islam and its people. And to the Ummah of Islam, we say: How long will you remain silent?! Do you not see?! The path of truth is clear and it is through the re- establishment of the second guided Khilafah "Caliphate" state upon the method of Prophethood, which will be led by an Imam who will be the shield that protects and is fought from behind. So work for it to attain the glory of this world and the Hereafter, by the Will of Allah Almighty. We pray to Allah Azza Wa Jal to make us witness the day when Karimov and his likes are brought to justice and the hearts of the believers will be healed, and to accept Nilofar as a martyr in the highest places in Heaven (Illiyin)...O Allah Ameen.

(ثُمَّ نُنَجِّي الَّذِينَ اتَّقَوا وَّنَذَرُ الظَّالِمِينَ فِيهَا جِثِيًّا)

"Then We will save those who feared Allah and leave the wrongdoers within it, on their knees" [Maryam: 72]

Women's Section
Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir