Arrests of Muslims in Russia
(Translated)
News:
Security forces distributed SIM cards during house searches of Muslims, and cases of joining a terrorist organization were fabricated, according to a complaint submitted by their relatives to human rights activists. On June 3, the Caucasian Knot newspaper reported, citing human rights activists, that 48 people were arrested during a security force operation in Nalchik and Nartan.
Similar arrests were also carried out in 42 homes in the city of Nalchik and the village of Nartan. All detainees are religiously committed Muslims, according to the electronic center website. Complainants claim that the searches followed the same approach: During the search of their homes, SIM cards were found and confiscated, which, according to them, did not belong to them, but were planted by law enforcement officers, according to human rights activists, who published pictures of the complaints.
On the same day, another Muslim woman, the fifth, was arrested in Kazan on charges of organizing the activities of Hizb ut-Tahrir. The previous four women were arrested in September of last year.
Comment:
The arrests of Muslims in Russia are not new, but with the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, they have begun to play a new role for the first time. Every time Russia suffers military defeats, the persecution of Muslims under the pretext of "combating terrorism" becomes an outlet or media cover that distracts the population from the failures on the front.
This is what happened this time: On June 1, Ukraine carried out a very daring operation called "Web," in which it targeted about 40 strategic aircraft, some of them in Siberia, which is very far from the border with Ukraine. This was made possible by modern technology, where boxes loaded with drones were transported by trucks under the guise of transporting goods.
The more the Russian regime is mired in this war, the greater the need to search for internal enemies. This also explains the recent campaign against immigrants launched by the authorities since the beginning of the war. It is difficult to predict how long this situation will last, but so far, the Russian people have accepted these narratives very successfully, and the level of hatred towards Muslims and immigrants has increased significantly in recent years. This is also reflected in the unprecedented increase in the number of hate crimes committed by Russian nationalists.
Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut-Tahrir Radio
Muhammad Mansour