Uzbekistan imposes state of emergency in protest-hit Karakalpak

Uzbekistan has announced a month-long state of emergency in an autonomous republic where rare protests forced President Shavkat Mirziyoyev into a reversal on certain constitutional reforms.

President Mirziyoyev’s press secretary Sherzod Asadov wrote on Telegram on Saturday that the state of emergency in the Republic of Karakalpakstan would run from just after midnight on Sunday (19:00 GMT Saturday) to August 2.

The measure was being taken to “ensure the safety of citizens, protect their rights and freedoms (and) restore law and order” in the territory, the statement added.

Uzbekistan’s president had arrived in Karakalpakstan on Saturday and promised that proposed constitutional amendments that would have weakened the territory’s status would be scrapped.

A rally on Friday was called to protest constitutional reform plans that would have changed the status of Karakalpakstan, an autonomous republic that is home to the Karakalpak people – an ethnic minority group with its own language, Uzbek authorities said.

Police dispersed the protesters after some tried to storm local government buildings in the region’s capital, Nukus, following a march and a rally at the city’s central market, local and government officials said.

Under the current Uzbek constitution, Karakalpakstan is described as a sovereign republic within Uzbekistan and has the right to secede by holding a referendum.

The new version of the constitution – on which Uzbekistan plans to hold a public vote in the coming months – would no longer mention Karakalpakstan’s sovereignty or right for secession.

But in a swift reaction to the protest, Mirziyoyev said on Saturday during a visit to Karakalpakstan that the changes regarding its status must be dropped from the proposed reform, his office said in a statement.

Karakalpakstan’s government said in a statement earlier on Saturday that police had detained the leaders of Friday’s protest, and several other protesters who had put up resistance.

A joint statement by the republic’s police, parliament and cabinet said that “provocateurs” had attempted “to seize state institutions … split the society and destabilise the socio-political situation in Uzbekistan”.

“A group of organisers of mass riots and people who actively resisted law enforcement agencies have been detained. Investigative actions are underway against them,” the statement said, blaming the unrest on a “criminal group”.

The changes concerning Karakalpakstan were part of a broader constitutional reform proposed by Mirziyoyev, which also includes strengthening civil rights and extending the presidential term to seven years from five.

If the reform is endorsed in the planned referendum, it would reset Mirziyoyev’s term count and allow him to run for two more terms.