Uzbekistan declares state of emergency in autonomous region after violent protest

Asia-Pacific, News July 7, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

In a rare event of violent protests in Uzbekistan, at least 18 people were killed and 243 wounded in the autonomous region of Karakalpakstan last week.

According to Uzbek authorities, 516 people were detained during the protests, which broke out over plans to curtail Karakalpakstan’s autonomy. The ongoing wave of protests is being termed as the worst bout of violence in the Central Asian nation over the last 17 years.

On Sunday, July 3, Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev announced his plans to amend the articles of the constitution regarding the sovereignty of Karakalpakstan, an autonomous republic within Uzbekistan. President’s proposal to downgrade the autonomous region to a province set off massive protests. President Mirziyoyev declared a month-long state of emergency in the northwestern province in order to counter the expected backlash from Karakalpakstan.

Karakalpakstan constitutes approximately 40 percent of Uzbekistan’s territory. It is an ethnically diverse region populated largely by ethnic minorities that includes Karakalpaks and Kazakhs, who share a lot of cultural and linguistic similarities. Ethnic Uzbeks, represent approximately 32 percent of Karakalpakstan’s population. During the Soviet era, Karakalpakstan was merged with the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic, though it still remained an autonomous republic.

Karakalpakstan’s current arrangement dates back to 1993, after the fall of the Soviet Union when Karakalpakstan considered whether it should proclaim its own independence or remain attached to Uzbekistan. An agreement was drafted between Uzbekistan and Karakalpakstan, which provided Karakalpakstan with a special legal status and autonomy to act as a republic rather than a province. In subsequent years, Karakalpaks have been well integrated into the power structures of Uzbekistan, while systematic ethnic conflicts between Karakalpaks and Uzbeks have been almost non-existent.

*^{Demonstrators protesting in Nukus on July 1, 2022. (Image Credit: Public domain /Telegram)}*

The situation however changed especially after the current President Shavkat Mirziyoyev entered into his second term in late 2021. In order to ensure that he will stay in power beyond the term limits, Mirziyoyev initiated the process of at least 180 constitutional reforms. In May 2022, Mirziyoyev announced that constitutional reform would embody his vision of a “New Uzbekistan.”

One of the constitutional amendments is to change the political status of Karakalpakstan affecting the right of self-determination of the republic’s 1.8 million population. This resulted in massive protests across Karakalpakstan. In the aftermath of the violence, Mirziyoyev scrapped the constitutional amendments that would have removed the republic’s constitutional right to self-determination.

The European Union has called for “an open and independent investigation into the violent events in Karakalpakstan”. Mirziyoyev’s office said he had discussed the matter with EU Council President Charles Michel, and that the unrest had been incited by “criminal elements”.