Uzbekistan Police repress protests in Karakalpakistan for the third consecutive day

July 3 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Police have used this Sunday anti-riot means such as tanks with tinted pressurized water against the demonstrators who for the third consecutive day have protested in Nukus, the capital of the Karakalpakistan region, for the central government’s intention to end the political autonomy of the zone.

The videos and photographs of the red water jets have been published on social networks, according to the news portal uzdaily.com.

The water cannons have served to disperse the protesters. It also allows for subsequent identification. Safe food coloring is usually used.

On the other hand, the Uzbek Parliament has ratified the decree declaring a state of emergency issued on Saturday by the country’s president, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, in response to the protests.

The state of emergency includes a curfew between 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., entry and exit from the region is restricted, and all public events are prohibited. In addition, military personnel will be deployed.

The protests are due to a proposed constitutional change that abolished the autonomy of the Karakalpakistan region. The change sparked violent protests on Friday, a highly unusual circumstance in an authoritarian country like Uzbekistan.

Mirziyoyev traveled to Nukus this Saturday and shortly after a presidential spokesman explained to the press that the constitutional text that refers to the autonomous sovereignty of the area will be respected, which has not calmed the protests.

Mirziyoyev has held the post of president since the death of his predecessor, Islam Karimov, in 2016. He has promised to promote a “free civil society” after his re-election last year, but human rights activists have denounced the abuses that persist despite certain reforms.