Suspect imprisonment of Muslims in Kazakhstan

Human rights new service Forum 18 reports a Wave of prosecutions against “extremist” Muslims in Kazakhstan.

The site reports that in September alone in three different cities of Kazakhstan, at least four alleged members of the Tabligh Jamaat Muslim missionary movement were convicted and five more imprisoned in pre-trial detention for two months.

In Temirtau, Orazbek Apakashev received a term of three years’ imprisonment. A court in the capital Astana imprisoned five alleged members for two months’ pre-trial detention at the KNB secret police’s request.

Forum 18 say they tried to reach the head of Astana KNB, Kurman Yelyubayev, or any of his deputies but were told: “We’re such an organisation that we can’t answer your questions”.

Davlet Tlemisov, who led the prosecution in court in Shymkent of three alleged Tabligh Jamaat members, defended the sentences of one year’s restricted freedom each. “These are dangerous people,” he told Forum 18. He then admitted that they had not set off bombs, nor murdered anyone, nor incited anyone to commit crimes. “They hold meetings and discussions directed at violating the constitutional system,” he claimed, but refused to explain.

Full story here