Article author:
Reuters
Tashkent-The President of Uzbekistan accused "foreign troops" on Wednesday for causing anxiety in the autonomous Republic of Karakalpakstan, a state in Central Asia. The government said 18 people were killed in a violent clash last week.
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said that "unpleasant events" were the cause of the pain and that the Supreme Prosecutor would conduct a thorough investigation.
Authorities say 14 civilians and 4 law enforcement officers have died. The Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that 107 law enforcement officers were seriously injured, 23 of whom were seriously injured.
"Of course, these events did not take place in one or ten days. These actions were prepared for years by malicious forces from abroad. "It has been done," Milziyoev said in a statement published on his spokesman's telegram channel.
"Their main goal is to attack Uzbekistan's territorial integrity and cause conflicts between ethnic groups," he said.
Milziyoev does not state what evidence was found about foreign involvement, and he does not specifically mention any country.
Protests broke out in response to a government plan to revoke Karakalpakstan's autonomy. When the demonstration broke out, Milziyoev immediately abandoned his proposal.
Milziyoev has imposed a month of emergency in a republic with blocked access to the Internet.
This week, the US State Department called for a complete and transparent investigation of the dead. Michelle Bachelet, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, called on Uzbek authorities to "exercise maximum restraint."
Violence is the worst thing that has happened since 2005 in Uzbekistan, the former Soviet Republic, which firmly covers all forms of opposition and cracks down on opposition.
Following a massive protest in neighboring Kazakhstan in January, authorities ordered a killing and summoned troops from an alliance between Russia and other former Soviet republics to help restore order.
Uzbekistan is not a member of the alliance, but Mirjiyoev told Russian President Vladimir Putin this week that he "expressed support for the efforts of Uzbekistan's leaders to stabilize the situation."
Karakalpakstan – Located on the coast of the Aral Sea, where environmental disasters have occurred for decades – Karakalpaks are a minority group that is related to Uzbek but has a different language. It is the home of.
According to official reports, in 2005 Uzbek security forces subdued armed protests in the city of Andijan, killing 173 people in clashes. The government has accused violence against Islamic extremists. (Report by Reuters, edited by Alistair Bell)
