Karakalpakstan

An interview with Tleubike Yuldasheva, Ziuar Mirmanbetova, Raisa Khudaibergenova, and Zhangeldi Zhaksymbetov.

A draft law seeks to guard Uzbekistan’s sovereignty by ousting foreigners who incite enmity or insult the dignity of the country. 

The extension of Muratbai’s detention follows a pattern in which Kazakh authorities detain Karakalpak activists pending extradition requests from Uzbekistan for the maximum time allowed by law.

The certificate delays his extradition to Uzbekistan and could lead to the granting of refugee status. But in practice, the country rarely grants refugee status to anyone.

Muratbai has been a vital voice in calling attention to Uzbekistan's persecution of the Karakalpak people. His detention in Kazakhstan is yet another warning shot.

“One of the best of our people has left -- and this further complicates relations between the Karakalpaks and the Uzbek authorities,” a fellow Karakalpak activist told The Diplomat.

Uzbek authorities have told Kazakh authorities that Urazbayev never officially renounced his Uzbek citizenship and therefore Kazakh authorities have revoked his Kazakh citizenship. 

While the releases in Kazakhstan have been welcomed by the Karakalpak community, it’s clear that a sense of unease remains. 

The two men – and three other detained Karakalpak activists – face the potential of being deported to Uzbekistan should their appeals fail.

When civilians were put on trial in relation to the Karakalpakstan unrest, their names were known, their faces splattered across the media. We only have initials for the three law enforcement officers tried.

Tazhimuratov’s 16-year sentence was upheld while terms of others were either reduced or shifted to house arrest.

Karakalpakstan has a constitutional right to secede from Uzbekistan via referendum, but calling for such a vote results in immense pressure and often prison terms.

Human Rights Watch says Uzbek security forces “unjustifiably” used lethal force to disperse generally peaceful demonstrators this summer.

Lessons from the cases of the Meskhetian Turks, Tajiks, and Karakalpaks.

The Uzbek president scolded regional leaders for failing to address the problems of the people and laid out further investments to address economic problems.

Given the increasingly prominent role of Islam in Uzbekistan's society, Muslim leaders felt it necessary to chime in on the recent protests.

Although protests this year in Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan took place in different contexts, with different triggers, there are some similarities worth highlighting.

A proposal to downgrade the autonomous region to a province set off massive protests.

The United Nations has established a new Multi-Partner Trust Fund for the Aral Sea Region.