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Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev stated on Sunday there have been casualties amongst civilians and legislation enforcement officers after uncommon protests within the Central Asian nation, and an exiled opposition politician stated at the very least 5 individuals had been killed.
Individually, a neighborhood authorities official advised an Uzbek information web site that 1000’s of individuals have been hospitalized.
In an announcement posted on-line, Mirziyoyev stated rioters had carried out “harmful actions” within the metropolis of Nukus, capital of the northwestern Karakalpakstan area, by throwing stones, beginning fires and attacking police.
“Sadly there are victims amongst civilians and legislation enforcement officers,” he stated. The assertion didn’t specify the quantity and nature of the casualties.
Sultanbek Ziyayev, the top of the Ministry of Well being of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, advised information web site Daryo.uz that hospitals in Nukus have been filled with sufferers who had been wounded when protesters clashed with safety forces.
“Hundreds of wounded have been hospitalized and are being handled,” he stated, in keeping with the web site.
Images from Nukus revealed on Sunday by one other information web site, Kun.uz, confirmed road barricades, burned vehicles and a heavy army presence together with armored personnel carriers.
Movies shared on social media confirmed at the very least two severely wounded individuals being carried by their legs and arms. One was bleeding from the stomach, whereas the opposite was screaming.
One other confirmed a younger man crouching by an apparently lifeless physique on the street, screaming “A person is dying” after which operating for canopy as pictures rang out. Reuters couldn’t instantly confirm the authenticity of the movies.
An exiled opposition politician, Pulat Ahunov, advised Reuters that, based mostly on contacts with native sources and video proof, at the very least 5 individuals had been killed. He stated there have been unconfirmed reviews of dozens extra lifeless.
Ahunov stated individuals have been unable to maneuver round and procure extra info due to a state of emergency imposed by the authorities.
Uzbekistan is a tightly managed former Soviet republic the place the federal government clamps down onerous on any type of dissent. It was the second outbreak of unrest in Central Asia this 12 months, after Kazakhstan crushed mass protests in January and Russia and different former Soviet republics despatched in troops to assist the authorities restore order.
The protests in Uzbekistan have been prompted by deliberate constitutional modifications that may have stripped Karakalpakstan of its autonomous standing. In an about-turn, the president dropped these plans on Saturday.
Ahunov, chairman of the opposition Berlik celebration, advised Reuters from Sweden that he condemned using deadly pressure.
“The authorities, from the beginning, ought to have opted for dialog and negotiations,” he stated.
He stated he feared the potential for the scenario to escalate into an ethnic battle between Uzbeks and Karakalpaks, a minority group with their very own language. Authorities had referred to as a public assembly for Tuesday to debate the scenario, he added.
Kazakhstan stated it was involved by the occasions in Uzbekistan and welcomed strikes by the authorities to stabilize the scenario.
Steve Swerdlow, Affiliate Professor of Human Rights on the College of Southern California and an knowledgeable on the area, stated Uzbekistan ought to interact as transparently as attainable in declaring casualties and using pressure and over the long run take a look at what issues have been on the coronary heart of the protests.
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