Press Release
The Law in Hizb ut Tahrir Lawsuits: Present But Not Present!
(Translated)

In the ongoing lawsuits against Hizb ut Tahrir during the years, with allegations that have no basis, and with arbitrary and unfair interpretations under the Enemy Penalty Act, contradictory developments have been occurring recently considering the foundations on which they depend. The first of these contradictions: the arrest of our brother Ayhan Aladağ, in a general checkpoint on March 2 in Erzurum because he was carrying the book The System of Islam. Based on this book The System of Islam, and in spite of all the objections, the Second Supreme Criminal Court insists on the arrest of our brother in prison on charges of belonging to a "terrorist organization"!

The second contradiction: the premise which has been prepared with respect to the investigation against 28 former employees of the Ministry of Telecommunications TİB and the Turkish Foundation of Technological Scientific Research TÜBİTAK claiming to eavesdrop on encrypted calls (Alkrebto) for top level states officials. And so on until the trial of the accused is adapted within the scope of anti-terrorism law; prosecutors demanded considering the discretion of the Attorney General in the Ninth Criminal Court on 19/04/2004 who conditioned the trials of the members of Hizb ut Tahrir to be in the context of "un-armed terrorist organization" as a precedent.

Third: The acquittal of the First Supreme Criminal Court in Gaziantep against 17 members of Hizb ut Tahrir on March 26. The court's prosecution said in their readings, "Despite the existence of a necessary and sufficient evidence to indicate that the defendants undertake activities within a political framework in the name of Hizb ut Tahrir. The absence of sufficient evidence that Hizb ut Tahrir, to which the defendants are accused of being a part of an armed terrorist organization, and finding a large number of books, leaflets and CDs in the homes and workplaces of the defendants during the inspection operation, as shown in the prosecution's 40-page file, and not finding, other than these books, any weapon or any explosive substance with the accused, and the fact that the organization, to which these defendants belong in this case is a form of organization or association or political group, rather than an armed terrorist organization, and concluding to the absence of the legal elements of the armed terrorist organization. We demand the court to acquit all the defendants from the charge of crime that is attributed to them".

It can be seen from these developments that the victims of the conflict between the AKP and Gülen's movement are regular Muslims; and the ruling given by the Supreme Criminal Court in Erzurum totally contradicts the Supreme Criminal Court in Gaziantep. So what is the reason for this contradiction?

The removal of this kind of insistent and pressing contradiction, and the diligence carried out by the Ninth Penalty Circle of the Supreme Court against Hizb ut Tahrir should be abolished, which is the reason for the issuance of penalties against members of Hizb ut Tahrir and many of the faithful Muslims. It is not surprising that those who were until recently using this diligence as a weapon against Muslims, are now facing the same punishment by the same diligence.

Finally, we say to those who claim that they were tricked into the Ergenekon and Balyoz lawsuits and the 17-25 December raids: why are you only talking about the deviation from justice and the lawlessness caused to you? Leave hypocrisy, be honest and do not add more injustice to your injustice! You can see that until today, there are still those who are detained because of a book they carry, and are wrongfully and aggressively sent to prison under the pretext of terrorism. Do not forget that justice is a right for all, and a delayed justice is not justice!

Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir in Wilayah Turkey