The government of Uzbekistan has dropped planned changes to its constitution and declared a one-month state of emergency after mass protests broke out at the weekend in the country’s largest region, which had been set to lose its autonomy under the reforms.
The demonstrations in the autonomous region of Karakalpakstan — which makes up 40 per cent of the country’s territory and has enjoyed a special status since 1991 — were the biggest in Uzbekistan since 2005.
Although the internet was eventually shut down during the unrest, unverified images posted by independent sources appeared to show thousands of people on the streets of Nukus, the capital of Karakalpakstan and one of Uzbekistan’s largest cities, and a number of casualties, following a harsh response by Uzbek police.