Chaos in Karakalpakstan

Most people around the world will have never heard of Karakalpakstan. The autonomous region is home to about two million people and enjoys a special status as a sovereign republic within Uzbekistan. But when the Uzbek President announced plans to reform the constitution and potentially change that status, the autonomous region rose up. In a rare act of defiance thousands took to the streets in protest, and it ended in brutal chaos. Demonstrators tried to seize several government buildings in the provincial capital Nukus. According to human rights groups, they were met with excessive force leaving at least 18 dead and hundreds injured. Following the unrest, the Uzbek government declared a state of emergency and Amnesty International is calling for an investigation into the violence.

Gulnoza Ismailova
Member of Uzbekistan's Central Constitutional Commission

Luca Anceschi
Eurasian Studies Professor at the University of Glasgow

Steve Swerdlow
Central Asian Affairs Analyst


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