Riots and shooting on the crowd in Uzbekistan, in the Karakalpakstan region. With an official death toll of 18 and 243 injured, Uzbekistan officially declares a state of emergency. An imposed blackout and denied internet connection were the first measures in response to the protests.
The former Soviet Socialist Republic in this situation for many reasons, but the main one was a particularly controversial constitutional reform approved by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
Specifically, what worries citizens is the weakening of the Karakalpak Region, in the west of the country. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, this region had obtained a certain autonomy from the center of power, while retaining the right of secession it had already won in the 1930s. It should be noted that according to the current constitution of Uzbekistan, adopted on December 8, 1992, Karakalpakstan is a sovereign republic, which has the right to separate from Uzbekistan on the basis of a referendum of the inhabitants of the region. In practice, at any time and for any reason, citizens could ask for a referendum to become an autonomous state.
They could, because with the President's initiative, already defined as an authoritarian turn, all this will be eliminated. So on July 1, thousands of demonstrators took to the streets, finding harsh government repression on the other side.
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet called for a timely, independent and transparent investigation:
The news we have received of serious violence, including killings, during the protests are very worrying. I urge the authorities to exercise maximum restraint. To ensure that responsibilities are traced, I urge the authorities to immediately open a transparent and independent investigation into any allegations of criminal acts committed in that context, including violations by state agents.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights reminded the Uzbek authoritarian regime that people should not be criminalized for exercising their rights. Under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, of which Uzbekistan is a party state, everyone has the right to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and the right to participate in public affairs. All detainees should have immediate access to a lawyer and must be guaranteed their fair trial and the guarantees of a fair trial.
But why has the President decided right now to formalize the annexation of the region to Uzbekistan?
Well the region has recently been affected by a strong flow of money, especially investments in the energy field.
From 2017 to 2020, industrial production increased by 2.1 times. In the same period, the total volume of investments in fixed assets increased by almost 3.7 times, mostly in the electricity sector. Currently, 1,359 investment projects have been formed for a total amount of 12.3 trillion Uzbek soums, with the aim, among others, of creating hydrogen and nitrogen filling stations.
References:
https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/07/06/uzbekistan-protests-violence-karakalpakstan-nukus-constitution/
https://www.rferl.org/a/uzbek-president-fatalities-karakalpakstan-protests/31926986.html
