The president of Uzbekistan, an authoritarian regime in Central Asia, said on Sunday July 3 that recent anti-government protests in the autonomous republic of Karakalpakstan (northwest) had caused “victims”.
“Unfortunately, there are casualties among civilians and law enforcement”, said Chavkat Mirzioev, quoted by his press service, during a speech from Karakalpakstan. He did not specify the number of victims, or whether they were dead or injured. This is the most serious internal crisis that the Uzbek president has faced since he came to power in 2016.
Uzbekistan, a country where the opposition is violently repressed, on Saturday declared a state of emergency for a month in Karakalpakstan, shaken the day before by a rare anti-government demonstration which prompted President Chavkat Mirzioev to abandon a plan to constitutional amendment. This would have reduced the degree of autonomy of the republic populated by 2 million people, one of the poorest in the country.