Proposed Uzbekistan Constitutional Reform Triggers Protests in Karakalpakstan

Paul Goble

            Staunton, July 2 – Tashkent has proposed constitutional changes that would strip Karakalpakstan of its right to pursue independence unilaterally, prompting thousands of residents of that autonomous formation to go into the streets and ultimately forcing Tashkent to use force and then reverse course on the reform.

            For details on this process and why it is so dangerous not only for Uzbekistan but also for the region and for the Russian Federation, see this author’s articles in Jamestown’s Eurasian Daily Monitor at jamestown.org/program/tashkent-cracks-down-hard-on-massive-protests-in-karakalpakstan/ and jamestown.org/program/karakalpak-crisis-far-from-over-and-not-limited-to-republic/.