Extremist group linked to “Hizb ut-Tahrir” detained in Fergana (video)

A secret group affiliated with the religious extremist organization "Hizb ut-Tahrir" was uncovered during an operation in the Fergana region. This was reported by the State Security Service.

According to the report, a resident of Kokand city, born in 1962, who previously served a prison sentence from 2000 to 2019 for crimes under Articles 159 (Encroachment on the constitutional order of the Republic of Uzbekistan), 244-1 (Preparation, storage, distribution or demonstration of materials threatening public security and public order), and 244-2 (Establishment, leadership, participation in religious extremist, separatist, fundamentalist, or other prohibited organizations) of the Criminal Code, formed an illegal group consisting of four citizens born between 1965 and 1971.

Between 2024 and 2025, the group held regular meetings in teahouses and canteens in Kokand, where they promoted the ideology of "Hizb ut-Tahrir", supported the fundamentalist views expressed in the organization's publications, and discussed the idea of establishing a caliphate.

The group members were also active in a closed Telegram channel where they regularly accessed materials related to "Hizb ut-Tahrir".

"It should be emphasized that one of the members, born in 1971, had previously served a 23-year sentence for participation in the 'Hizb ut-Tahrir' organization and was released in April 2024, while another member had previously served time for a fraud-related offense," the statement said.

A criminal case has been initiated against the individuals under Articles 159, 244-1, and 244-2 of the Criminal Code. A preventive measure of arrest has been applied.

It is worth noting that earlier in Kashkadarya, eight members of a "jihadist" group were sentenced to prison terms ranging from six to ten years and six months. That group held meetings in private homes to discuss the establishment of a "caliphate".