KHUJAND, June 28, 2012, Asia-Plus  -- A court in Sughd’s Bobojonghafurov district sentenced local activist of the outlawed religious extremist Hizb ut-Tahrir group Burhonkhouja Abduqodirov, 45, to 13 years in prison on June 27.

The sentence followed his conviction on charges of organization of a criminal group or participation in a criminal group; incitement of national, racial, regional and religious enmity, public calls for the forcible overthrow of or change to the constitutional order in Tajikistan, organization of an extremist group and organization of activity of an extremist group.  Abduqodirov will serve his term in a high-security penal colony.

We will recall that the trial of Abduqodirov began in the Bobojonghafurov district court on June 19.

Deputy chairman of the Bobojonghafurov court Odilboy Usmonov, who presided over the trial, said that Burhonkhouja Abduqodirov was detained by officers from the State Committee for National Security (SCNS)’s office in Sughd province on March 28 this year and a large consignment of subversive literature and leaflets of Hizb ut-Tahrir was confiscated from him.  “Abduqodirov voluntarily joined the Hizb ut-Tahrir group in 2009,” Usmonov added.

Meanwhile, a court in Dushanbe last week sentenced twelve Hizb ut-Tahrir activists to prison terms ranging from 4 to 14 years.

Hizb ut-Tahrir has been banned in Tajikistan since 2000.  The Supreme Court of Tajikistan formally labeled the banned Hizb ut-Tahrir Islamist group as an extremist organization on March 11, 2008.  The ruling followed a request submitted to the court by Tajik chief prosecutor.  The ruling means even tighter restrictions on the group''s presence on the Internet and its use of media to promote its ideology.