One Man’s Terrorist Is Another Man’s Political Prisoner: Human Rights Organisations, the State and the Persecution of Hizb ut-Tahrir in Russia

Abstract

Abstract This article explores the problem of persecution of Hizb ut-Tahrir al-Islami (HTI) in Russia through the lens of a clash between the state’s security agenda and the human rights defence agenda of civil society actors. It aims to shed more light on the dynamics of the securitization-desecuritization ‘tug of war’ between law enforcement agencies and human rights watch groups which manifested itself in their conflicting framings of this transnational Islamist movement in the context of Russia’s ongoing campaign against terrorism and extremism. Drawing on court documents, legislative acts and statements of public officials, this study looks into the discursive construction of HTI as a key terrorist threat to Russian society. At the same time, it demonstrates how the state policies of ‘maximising’ the danger coming from HTI were countered by major human rights organisations attempting to reduce the intensity of the movement’s securitization even despite its alleged links to terrorism.