<p>Police spokesman Makhmadullo Asaduloyev said 50-year-old Urunboi Usmonov is suspected of being a member of Islamic movement Hizb-ut-Tahrir, which is illegal in the Central Asian republic.<br /><br />According to police, Usmonov, a Tajik citizen, joined the banned group in 2009 to carry out "propaganda and promoting this movement in social networks." Calls to BBC seeking comment were not immediately returned.<br /><br />Despite its designation as an extremist group, Hizb-ut-Tahrir has publicly foresworn the use of violence. It is an international pan-Islamic organisation that operates legally in many countries, including Britain.<br /><br />Tajikistan holds strategic importance in the NATO military campaign in Afghanistan, serving as a link in supply routes.<br /><br />As the impoverished former Soviet republic fights a strong Islamic insurgency at the Afghan border, authorities led by long-time President Emomali Rakhmon have maintained a tight grip over the media and civil rights groups.<br /><br />Usmonov has been kept in a high-security prison in Tajikistan's north for two days, although the court only sanctioned his arrest today afternoon, the journalist's lawyer, Fayzinisso Vakhidova, told the Associated Press.<br /><br />Vakhidova said Usmonov had been denied access to legal help for two days, adding that he is accused of using his job to promote the organisation's ideas.</p>
<p>Police spokesman Makhmadullo Asaduloyev said 50-year-old Urunboi Usmonov is suspected of being a member of Islamic movement Hizb-ut-Tahrir, which is illegal in the Central Asian republic.<br /><br />According to police, Usmonov, a Tajik citizen, joined the banned group in 2009 to carry out "propaganda and promoting this movement in social networks." Calls to BBC seeking comment were not immediately returned.<br /><br />Despite its designation as an extremist group, Hizb-ut-Tahrir has publicly foresworn the use of violence. It is an international pan-Islamic organisation that operates legally in many countries, including Britain.<br /><br />Tajikistan holds strategic importance in the NATO military campaign in Afghanistan, serving as a link in supply routes.<br /><br />As the impoverished former Soviet republic fights a strong Islamic insurgency at the Afghan border, authorities led by long-time President Emomali Rakhmon have maintained a tight grip over the media and civil rights groups.<br /><br />Usmonov has been kept in a high-security prison in Tajikistan's north for two days, although the court only sanctioned his arrest today afternoon, the journalist's lawyer, Fayzinisso Vakhidova, told the Associated Press.<br /><br />Vakhidova said Usmonov had been denied access to legal help for two days, adding that he is accused of using his job to promote the organisation's ideas.</p>