Fifteen members of the Islamic Liberation Party were arrested last week; since the beginning of 2001, the Tajik authorities have arrested approximately 100 people they claim are members of Hisbi-attahrir in different regions of Tajikistan, mainly in the northern part of the country bordering Uzbekistan. Last year, dozens of alleged members of the group appeared in Tajik courts after being charged with illicit activities, including the formation of criminal groups and organizations advocating racial, ethnic, and religious bigotry and plotting to overthrow the secular government.

The Hisbi-attahrir movement is active in various parts of the Islamic world and is reported to have a goal of establishing Islamic, Shariat-based rule. Assumptions about relations between Hisbi-attahrir and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU)--a terrorist group blamed for a number of attacks in neighboring Uzbekistan--are controversial. Hisbi-attahrir was established in 1953, but its actions have become public only in the last couple of years. Allegedly, the party's headquarters are in Palestine, and there is no information as to who stands behind the movement or renders it financial support.

According to the report "Islamic Mobilization and Regional Security" published on 1 March by the U.S. nongovernmental International Crisis Group, Hisbi-attahrir claims that between 50,000 and 100,000 Muslims have been arrested region-wide on charges of supporting the party and are now being detained--some in concentration camps in western Uzbekistan. Uzbek officials acknowledge that since 1991 at least 2,000 people have been convicted on political grounds. International human rights groups acting in the region believe that the actual figure is higher. Tajik authorities have not released official figures.

The presence of Hisbi-attahrir supporters in the northern province of Sugd was at one time widely viewed as improbable, but the group has become increasingly active in the province over the last year. The Sugd province of Tajikistan has a reputation for being the most highly developed region of the country. Communist ideology was strong there during the Soviet period, and the province has had good ties with Russia since tsarist times. In addition, most of Tajikistan's industrial enterprises are located in the province. Analysts had earlier believed that fundamentalist groups would be unlikely to find broad support in the region.

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