After the protests began, the President of Uzbekistan proposed to preserve the sovereignty of Karakalpakstan
President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev proposed not to amend the constitution to abolish the sovereignty of Karakalpakstan. He made such a statement on July 2 during a visit to the republic, where protests began the day before because of the decision to limit the independence of the region.
“Given that the process of discussing amendments and additions to the Constitution is still ongoing, and also on the basis of studying the opinions expressed by the residents of Karakalpakstan, the President outlined the need to maintain unchanged the current versions of Articles 70, 71, 72, 74, 75 of the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan,” — says in message press service of the head of the Uzbek state.
Articles 70-75 constitute the section of the basic law of Uzbekistan dedicated to the Republic of Karakalpakstan, also known as Karakalpakstan. According to these articles, Uzbekistan is the guarantor of the sovereignty of Karakalpakstan. The republic independently decides on the issues of its administrative-territorial structure, its borders cannot be changed without its consent, while it can secede from Uzbekistan “on the basis of a general referendum of the people of Karakalpakstan.”
The draft of the new constitution of Uzbekistan assumes the exclusion from the main law of the provisions on the sovereignty of Karakalpakstan and the republic’s right to secession. The document was submitted for public discussion on June 26. On the same day, calls for protests appeared on social networks. And on July 1, street actions began in the capital of the republic, Nukus. A few hours later, the Ministry of Internal Affairs reported on the normalization of the situation, saying that “the forces and means of law enforcement agencies” had restored order. The Ministry of Internal Affairs called the events of July 1 an “unplanned march” and an “illegal demonstration.”
“Some citizens of Karakalpakstan, as a result of a misinterpretation of the constitutional reforms being carried out in the republic, unplanned marches through the city of Nukus, after which they gathered on the territory of the central dekhkan market and organized an illegal demonstration,” the Interior Ministry said in a July 1 report.
And on July 2, a different assessment was given to the events. Jokargy Kenes (Supreme Legislative Body) of Karakalpakstan, the Council of Ministers and the Ministry of Internal Affairs called the incident “riots” and “an attempt to seize government bodies”, and the organizers of the action – a “criminal group”.
“Hiding behind populist slogans, manipulating the consciousness and trust of citizens, the organizers of the riots, not obeying the legitimate demands of the authorities, gathered the citizens of the republic on the square in front of the complex of administrative buildings of the Republic of Karakalpakstan. The provocateurs, relying on the gathered citizens, made an attempt to seize these state institutions and thus split the society, destabilize the socio-political situation in Uzbekistan,” the legislature said in a statement.
The authorities of Karakalpakstan reported that the organizers of the riots were detained, and the provocateurs would be found and brought to justice.
The statement mentions “certain unhealthy external forces from abroad” trying to influence the situation in the republic. The actions of law enforcement agencies in Nukus were described by the authorities as “resolute”. At the same time, Uzbek journalist Yuri Chernogaev, in an interview with BFM.ru, noted that the protests in Karakalpakstan were peaceful.
“Fortunately, they went like ordinary demonstrations in the East – everyone ran, shouted, then dispersed to teahouses and are drinking tea today. Just in case, there was a strengthening of local power structures. I personally have no doubts that everything will end peacefully,” he said.