The President of Uzbekistan said there had been casualties among civilians and law enforcement personnel after rare public protests in the northwestern Karakalpakstan Autonomous Province, which has experienced major unrest over planned constitutional reform. .
In a statement posted online on Sunday, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said the rioters had carried out “destructive actions” in the city of Nukus, throwing stones, setting fire to and attacking police.
“Unfortunately, there are deaths among civilians and law enforcement officers,” Mirziyoyev said during a speech in Karakalpakstan that was broadcast by his press service in Telegram. He did not specify the number or nature of the victims.
Sultanbek Ziyayev, head of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, told the Daryo.uz news website that Nukus hospitals were full of patients who had been injured when protesters clashed with security forces.
“Thousands of injured have been hospitalized and are being treated,” he said, according to the website.
An opposition politician in exile, Pulat Ahunov, told Reuters news agency that, based on contacts with local sources and video evidence, at least five people had been killed. He said there were unconfirmed reports of dozens more deaths.
Ahunov said people could not move and get more information due to the state of emergency imposed by the authorities.
Karakalpakstan has suffered major Internet disruptions since the draft amendments were published last week, removing the region from its nominal “sovereign” status and its right to secede from Uzbekistan through a popular referendum.
Since then, Mirziyoyev has abandoned plans to back the province’s autonomy after the demonstrations.
“According to the constitution, it’s an autonomous region, it has its own parliament, it has a number of privileges that it’s supposed to enjoy, including the opportunity to hold elections and choose to secede from Uzbekistan,” Bruce said. Pannier, a praguec. journalist based in Central Asia, told Al Jazeera.
The area takes its name from the village of Karakalpak, which is well represented in cities like Nukus, where the protests took place, but which now constitute a minority in the western region of two million people.
“In Uzbekistan in general, protests are very rare because the security forces have very strong control over the country,” Pannier said.
“Specifically in Karakalpakstan, they have had much smaller protests over the years simply because it is a depressed area. It doesn’t see much investment, there are a number of health problems, so it’s not uncommon for there to be protests, but something of a ‘this size is unusual by Uzbek standards’.
Uzbekistan on Saturday declared a month-long state of emergency in the impoverished region where widespread protest over the proposed changes erupted.
On Sunday, Mirziyoyev paid a second visit to the region in two days.
“A group of people, hiding behind false slogans, won the trust of citizens, deceived them, disobeyed the lawful demands of the authorities, caused chaos and tried to seize the buildings of local authorities “he told local lawmakers.
“Several groups tried to seize the buildings of the Nukus City Department of Internal Affairs and the Department of the National Guard to obtain weapons,” he said.
“Taking advantage of their numerical superiority, these men attacked law enforcement officers, striking them severely and causing serious injuries,” he added.
Uzbekistan is a Central Asian state and a heavily controlled former Soviet republic where the government strongly represses any form of dissent.
Hugh Williamson, director of Europe and Central Asia for Human Rights Watch, said on Twitter: “There are unconfirmed reports of excessive use of force by security personnel during the protests in Nukus on July 1.” He called for an investigation.
3 / There are unconfirmed reports of excessive use of force by security personnel during the protests in Nukus on 1 July. Then, the events should be investigated by the authorities. Police should use minimal force to handle the @hrw protests
– Hugh Williamson (@HughAWilliamson) July 3, 2022
The Foreign Ministry of neighboring Kazakhstan, whose government crushed the violent protests in early January, said it was concerned about events in Uzbekistan.
“We welcome and support the decisions of Uzbekistan’s top leaders to stabilize the situation in the Republic of Karakalpakstan,” the ministry said in a statement.