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2022 Karakalpak protests
Date	1 July 2022 - present
Location	Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan
Caused by	Submission for public discussion of a draft of a new version of the Constitution of Uzbekistan, in which the word "sovereign" was removed from the description of the status of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, and the mention of the republic’s right to secede from Uzbekistan was also removed Arrest of Dauletmurat Tazhimuratov
Methods	Demonstrations, civil unrest
Status	Ongoing
Parties
Protesters Government of Uzbekistan Supreme Council of Karakalpakstan
Lead figures
Dauletmurat Tazhimuratov Shavkat Mirziyoyev (President of Uzbekistan)
Casualties
Death(s)	18
Injuries	243
Detained	Unknown

Protests broke out in the autonomous region of Karakalpakstan in Uzbekistan on 1 July 2022 over proposed amendments by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to the Constitution of Uzbekistan which would have ended Karakalpakstan's status as an autonomous region of Uzbekistan and right to secede from Uzbekistan via referendum. A day after protests had begun in the Karakalpak capital of Nukus, President Mirziyoyev withdrew the constitutional amendments. The Karakalpak government claimed that protesters had attempted to storm government buildings.

Despite concessions given by the Uzbek government in preserving Karakalpakstan's autonomy, protests continued growing, resulting in internet blockage throughout Karakalpakstan on 2 July, and President Mirziyoyev declaring a state of emergency in the region.

On July 4, the General Prosecutor's Office reported that 18 people had been killed and 243 injured in Nukus. Social media posts suggested that several people were killed or injured in the demonstrations, with one video circulating in social media purportedly showing a large amount of blood on the street in Nukus. The video was later reported to be fake, with local media reporting that the police had sprayed the protested with red-dye water cannons. Polish journalist Agnieszka Pikulicka also shared the video, but later apologized for spreading fake news.

Background

Karakalpakstan is an autonomous republic located within Uzbekistan and is home to ethnic Karakalpaks, the Turkic speaking peoples belonging to the Kipchak languages numbering to just approximately 752,000 or 2.2% of Uzbekistan's population. Throughout the course of history, the territory of Karakalpakstan had been under control of various empires before forming its own present-day identity in around the 17th century as a separate confederation of nomadic tribes initially belonging to Kazakh Khanate, thus resulting in Karakalpaks having closer cultural ties with the Kazakhs in terms of customs, material culture, and language contrary with the Uzbeks.

Following the establishment of the Soviet Union, the process of boundary delimitation took place under Joseph Stalin in Central Asia by the local communist organizations under the influence of ethnic nationalist intellectuals and were made on the basis of late Tsarist and early Soviet census data. As new borders were drawn, bilingualism and multinational identities in the areas were common while the divisions of language and ethnicity was often seen by the urban–rural political divide. The Karakalpak Autonomous Oblast was formed in 1925 within the Kazakh Autonomous Socialist Soviet Republic and was transferred to the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic where in 1932, it became the Karakalpak Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic and was fully integrated into the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic in 1936 where it remained its status quo as an autonomy.

In December 1990 during the Perestroika, the Surpeme Council of Karakalpak ASSR adopted the "Declaration on State Sovereignty" over the Soviet Union which it allowed for Karakalpakstan to gain independence through the means of a referendum while the Uzbek SSR had declared its own independence in August 1991 shortly after the failed Soviet coup d'état attempt. By that time, Karakalpakstan was recognized by the central Soviet government for holding a "state status" and in November 1991, Dauletbay Shamshetov [ru] was elected as the first president of Karakalpakstan by the Surpeme Council before eventually stepping down in June 1992. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union took place, the Republic of Karakalpakstan was formed in January 1992, and subsequently became an autonomous republic under the Uzbek authority the adoption of the Constitution of Uzbekistan in December 1992. In 1993, a 20-year period interstate agreement on the entry of the Republic of Karakalpakstan into Uzbekistan was signed by both governments which granted the right of Karakalpakstan to secede from Uzbekistan through a referendum. By the time the agreement expired in 2013, it was largely forgotten.

Draining of the Aral Sea

The Aral Sea was historically a part of Karakalpak culture, and the region is commonly associated with its draining. As a result of the draining of the Aral Sea, Karakalpakstan became one of Uzbekistan's poorest regions, and living conditions have worsened as a result of decreased access to drinking water and the spread of infectious disease. The continued decreasing habitability of Karakalpakstan as a result of the Aral Sea's draining has also caused a significant decrease in opportunity, and many within the region have blamed the draining for the worsening situation in the region.

Proposed constitutional reform

In late June 2022, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev proposed 170 amendments to the constitution of Uzbekistan, to be voted on in a referendum. Among the most controversial amendments were an amendment changing the length of a presidential term from five to seven years, and nullifying term limits, and amendments which would significantly decrease Karakalpakstan's autonomy, including removing their right to secede from Uzbekistan via referendum.

Protests

On 1 July 2022, thousands of people protested against the proposed constitutional amendments in the Karakalpak capital of Nukus and throughout the region. The news outlet Turkmen.News reported that the Uzbekistan National Guard presence had been strengthened in two towns in Karakalpakstan as a result of protests. The cause of other protests was reported by Eurasianet to be the arrest of Dauletmurat Tazhimuratov, a Karakalpak lawyer and journalist, before he was set to meet people in Nukus.

The day after protests, Mirziyoyev agreed to withdraw the amendments to the constitution regarding Karakalpakstan's autonomy. At the same time, the government of Karakalpakstan claimed that protesters had attempted to storm government buildings. Internet access in Karakalpakstan was subsequently blocked, and a state of emergency was declared in the region by the Uzbek government.

One video appears to show a large amount of blood on a street. President Mirziyoyev has admitted that casualties have occurred among both civilians and security forces, claiming that rioters had carried out "destructive actions". Exiled politician Pulat Ahunov told Reuters that at least five people died.

Sultanbek Ziyayev, minister of health in Karakalpakstan, said Nukus hospitals were filled with protesters who had been injured in clashes with security forces, and that "thousands" had been hospitalised.

Reactions

•  Belarus – In a meeting leading up to Belarus' Independence Day, President Alexander Lukashenko said foreigners, mainly Westerners, were playing a role in the demonstrations and drew similarities to the protests and the 2022 Kazakh unrest. In reference to China's influence in the region, Lukashenko stated "Central Asia, just like us, is caught between two fires: Europeans and Americans on one side and China on the other. China is helping Central Asia to survive, to hold out. This fight will be in Central Asia in the near future. The symptoms of this have already become evident."

References

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• Current events from July 2022
• 2022 in Uzbekistan
• 2022 protests
• July 2022 events in Asia
• Karakalpakstan
• Protests in Uzbekistan