Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, July 3: A month-long state of emergency was imposed on Saturday in the Republic of Karakalpakstan, an autonomous republic in northwest Uzbekistan, by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
Early this week, protests erupted in the area against a proposed constitutional revision, according to Anadolu Agency. However, according to President Mirziyoyev, Karakalpakstan’s independent legal status would not change.
“It is necessary to leave the draft norms of the legal status of the Republic of Karakalpakstan unchanged,” he said.
“we will definitely build a new Uzbekistan and a new Karakalpakstan together,” he added.
The formal order specifies that the state of emergency will last from July 3 to August 2. The edict places restrictions on entering and leaving the province, and all public gatherings are outlawed. According to Anadolu Agency, it also puts temporary limits to maintain public order, such as banning car entry and person searches.
When demonstrators attempted to attack the government buildings in Nukus, the region’s capital, Mirziyoyev declared that Karakalpakstan’s changes would not change.
Public order had reportedly been restored in Nukus earlier. According to media reports, protesters gathered in the main outdoor market area to press for the release of a local blogger who had called for a demonstration against constitutional revisions.
