Hizb-ut-Tahrir declared Terrorist Organisation

About Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HuT)

Founded in 1953 in Jerusalem by Taqiuddin al-Nabhani.
Aim: To establish a global Islamic Caliphate governed by Sharia law, seeking to overthrow secular governments in Muslim-majority countries.
Global Presence: Operates in over 30 countries, including the U.K., U.S., Canada and Australia.
Headquarter: Lebanon
Activities and Tactics:
- Focuses on radicalising youth to join extremist groups like ISIS.
- Involved in fundraising for terrorism and promoting its ideology through online platforms and Dawah meetings
International Ban: It is banned by Germany, Egypt, UK and several Central Asian and Arab countries
Recent Developments in India:
- On October 10, 2024, the Indian government designated HuT as a terrorist organisation under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
- The Ministry of Home Affairs cited its role in radicalization, fundraising for terrorist activities and posing a threat to national security.
- The National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested several members, including Faizul Rahman, for conspiring to promote secessionism and recruit for HuT.

Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA)

Purpose: The UAPA was enacted to effectively prevent certain unlawful activities, including terrorist activities that threaten the sovereignty and integrity of India.
Scope: It applies to all individuals and associations, whether they are Indian citizens or foreign nationals, and extends to actions taken outside India by Indian citizens.

Key Provision

● Declaration of Unlawfulness: The Act gives the government the authority to declare any association as unlawful through a notification in the Official Gazette.

Terrorist Activities: It includes provisions for defining and penalising terrorist acts, allowing for severe punishments, including life imprisonment and the death penalty.
Preventive Detention: UAPA allows law enforcement agencies to detain individuals without trial if they are suspected of being involved in terrorist activities.
Amendments
- 2004: Included specific definitions of “terrorist acts” and empowered the government to ban organisations involved in terrorism.
- 2019: Allowed the government to designate individuals as terrorists without due process and granted more power to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) regarding property seizure