Is Russia Radicalizing its Muslims?

25 May 2010

Gulnara Faizulina, wife of imprisoned Tatar Muslim, Moscow, 24 May 2010

The Russian Supreme Court on Tuesday hears an appeal of 12 Muslims from the republic of Tatarstan imprisoned on charges of attempting to overthrow the local government. Russian human rights activists say the case represents an assault on freedom of religion that has the unintended effect of radicalizing Muslims in the Russian Federation.

Farkhat Faizulin is one of 12 Muslims in Tatarstan imprisoned for attempting a violent overthrow of the republic's government. He was also accused of membership in Hizb ut-Tahrir, an organization that seeks to unite all Muslim countries.

Prosecutors presented no evidence of guns or explosives at the defendants' 2007 trial. Instead, they pointed to confiscated Islamic literature, including that of Hizb ut-Tahrir. Human-rights activists say prosecutors extrapolated violent intent from possession of that organization's literature. The defendants deny all charges.

Faizulin's wife, Gulnara Faizulina, told VOA the Supreme Court appeal revolves around procedural matters.

Faizulina says defendants were denied a jury trial and defense motions, witnesses were kept secret and defendants could not properly cross-examine them.

Speaking at a Moscow news conference, the director of Russia's Human Rights Institute, Valentin Gefter, said the issue at stake in the appeal is not the state's war against terrorism, but rather against independent ideas.