From: Justin Burke (JBurke@sorosny.org)
Date: Thu Apr 20 2000 - 11:19:20 EDT
Uzbek police detain provincial head of banned extremist group in capital
A special task force in Uzbekistan has detained a man suspected of leading a
regional "extremist" organization, Uzbek TV said on 16th April, quoting a
deputy head of Tashkent Region's internal affairs directorate, F.
Shofayziyev. He said the suspect was the head of the banned Hezb-e Tahrir
religious organization covering three regions - Dzhizak, Syrdarya and part
of Tashkent Region. Shofayziyev said neighbourhood watch groups had been
set up in districts to find such elements. In one district residents seized
and handed over 16 representatives of a "religious extremist group" to the
police, he said. The following are excerpts from report by Uzbek TV on 16th
April:
[Presenter] Specific facts from the monthly statistical report are showing
an improvement in the criminal situation in the republic. For example,
instances of law and order violations in Tashkent Region has fallen. There
are several factors behind these positive results - namely the holding of
the so-called preventive measures amongst the population and effective
operations by law-enforcement agencies to ensure the disclosure of illegal
actions. Tashkent Region's task force has detained a suspect wanted by
police for the past year and a half for leading a regional extremist
organization.
[Correspondent, over video of arrested men; Uzbek currency bank-notes;
detained man being questioned by police; interviews with a police officer
and an arrested man; a masked man; fire arms; police arrests; police
vehicles in motion]
[passage omitted: four people were detained for theft; a man was detained
with one kilogram of heroin in Almalyk District in Tashkent Region]
In the Region, the so-called Yangiabad [a district in Tashkent Region]
events disturbed peace at the end of last year. The main task of the
law-enforcement agencies was to find people with an extremist orientation
in order to prevent such events.
[F. Shofayziyev, captioned as deputy head of the Tashkent Region internal
affairs directorate, shown in military uniform speaking at a training site]
We detained a man in late March this year wanted by police in the past one
and a half years. According to our information, he was the head of the
Hezb-e Tahrir religious extremist organization in a big region which
included Dzhizak, Syrdarya and part of Tashkent Region. Well, there is a
criminal case against him.
[Correspondent, over video of men in military uniform undergoing combat
training] Have you managed to find out who was supporting him?
[Shofayziyev] Yes, many people, his contacts have been determined. They are
heads of lower teams and district teams. Measures are also being taken
against them.
[Correspondent, over video of men in military uniform performing exercises]
A special task force detachment was set up under the internal affairs
directorate a few months ago. Special candidates had been chosen for it,
though it was done rather quickly. All the staff took part in combing the
area where the Yangiabad events took place.
Comrade Major, can you tell us, what do you use as a basis for training the
lads in the special task force?
[A] I think, the basis is ideological training for our staff, the second is
their physical training and the third is weapon training and learning of
our modern technology and weapons.
[Q] Will they be able to cope with their tasks namely in mountainous
terraine?
[A] About two week ago, the lads returned from the Bostanlyk mountains in
Khodzhakent where we held our large-scale exercises together with the
special task force. Theoretically, they can cope with the task set before
us under mountainous conditions.
[Q] They say in the army that one should know his enemy's tactics to
confront him. Are you studying their tactics?
[A] We have seen the enemy in Yangiabad. We know the enemy. We know who he
is.
[Correspondent] The trained detachment, which can hit the target, work under
extreme conditions and which is working exclusively to hit objectives,
works under any kind of pressure. For example, they managed to detain an
armed group of eight men approximately to the run-up to the January
[presidential] elections who were circulating leaflets and literature
calling for jihad [holy war]. Now, you see the material confiscated at the
scene of the crime. Apart from the leaflets, they issued other political
literature, studied the map of the region. The task force managed to learn
that one of the members of the revealed group previously worked in
administrative bodies. So, the law-enforcement agencies intensified their
work to study the false nature of the criminal world's ideology and tactics
- characterised by terrorism and extremism. That is why, very serious
attention is being paid to physical training and mastering of all combat
techniques.
[Shofayziyev] At the end of last year we held a meeting with the population.
This is held on a regular basis. When we held the meeting in a district the
residents just came. We talked and explained what was right and what was
wrong. The next day, the residents seized and handed over 16
representatives of a religious extremist group. The people themselves not
only detained them but also brought leaflets and other things.
[passage to end omitted: a Posbon [Uzbek: Guards] detachment of 1,000 people
made up of local residents was set up in Tashkent - neighbourhood watch
groups; videos of uniformed men in training; patrolling border area;
leaflets and literature said to be of an extremist nature; interviews with
uniformed men]
Source: Uzbek Television first channel, Tashkent, in Russian 1430 gmt 16 Apr
00
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