Numerous reports sent to "Muslim Uzbekistan" from the Uzbek capital confirm the fact of arrest of 12 Muslims by the Ministry of Internal Affairs during 18-19 February operations in Tashkent. According to a source in the MIA 120 Muslims are planned to be detained during current deliberate arrests.

The list of newly arrested people includes some amnestied former prisoners. Therefore many people in Tashkent have a dread of becoming another victim of the regime. According to reports secret shadowing and searches from the direction of security services and police are noticeably especially in the areas where inhabitants are mostly Muslims. Some people are reportedly forced to leave their places. The reason of such harsh measures of Uzbek government remains unknown. None of arrested were told of having connection to one or another Islamic groups.

According to witnesses on February 17 unknown persons visited the place of people in detention to gather information. Unexpected visitors presented themselves as employees of the Ministry of Labor. Elsewhere they told homeowners "You have handed in an application about leaving for [South] Korea [for working there], haven't you?" Getting negative reply the visitors were making a show of writing something in their copy-book. Some people took the visit of such unexpected guests as an alarm and considered them as "government's spies". Next two days these reconnoitered places were attacked by the MIA officers…

Owing to efforts of authors of this report incomplete personal data about arrested people was established.

Turaev Shukrulloh, 1968, father of four. He has been recently amnestied. On February 18 at about 14.00-15.00 he was stopped by police inspectors near the customs outskirts of Tashkent and was asked to wait for a while. In some minutes 3 or 4 men arrived on "Nexia" and took away Turaev Shukrulloh saying that "your car had an accident and we'll examine it". When they went away police inspectors told to one of witnesses that "those guys in "Nexia" were from the 7th department of the MIA" (the 7th department of the MIA is specialized to carry out arrests, shadowing and other special operations)

Tulqin, 1972, father of three. He was arrested at about 6.00 in the morning on February 19. Police also tried to arrest his brother Jaloliddin. However, the latter succeeded to escape when 7-8 officers came to his place. Now his relatives don't know about the whereabouts of Jaloliddin. On February 17 the homes of all of these three men were visited by "a strange employee of the Ministry of Labor". Unlike some other parents Tulqin and Shukrulloh's ones evidently didn't guess the visitor's real intend and told them that their sons live in another place and gave to police officer their new addresses…

Rustam, he lives in Chighatoy mahalla. He was also arrested by the MIA officers. No additional information is available about him for now.

Mirahmadov Abdukhakim, 1962, father of three. On February 18 at about 12.00 the MIA officers arrived in two "Nexia"s to a butcher shop at Faroby Street where Mirahmadov works and took him away.

Nuruddin was born in 1965 (or 1967). He lives in Shaykhontahur district of Tashkent, father of five. On February 19 a group of armed policemen arrested him at about 6 o'clock in the morning at his bedroom.

Dilshod reportedly was born in 1964. He's neighbor of Nuruddin. Father of three or four. Dilshod was one of the few people who grew a beard in spite of the government's harsh persecution of bearded Muslims in the country. He was also arrested on February 19 mornings. However, the MIA denied detention of Dilshod when his relatives went to see him there. "There's no such person among the arrested here in the MIA" policeman on duty told.

Kamolov Abdulla, he lives in Saghban Street of S.Rakhimov district. Four black "Jeeps" encircled and forced him to stop when he driving his car on the road to bazaar with his mother. The MIA officers laid him down faced to ground, and conducted a search, then took him away to the MIA.

On February 19 another Muslim was arrested in Tashkent's Dombrobod mahalla. However, no more information is available about him for now.

According to local observers, these incidents have no serious motive except for enmity against Islam and Muslims. These actions are expected from the government which cannot get rid of feeling animosity towards its Muslims nationals.

P.S.: When we were preparing this material for publishing more other reports came which show that the number of arrested Muslims more than 12. There are other unconfirmed reports on arrest of Muslims in the capital Tashkent. We ask Allah to grant patience and strength to all victims. We'll do our best to monitor these events and give necessary advices to the victims of recent attacks, insha Allah.