State of emergency in unrest-hit Uzbekistan region
Gulf Times
Shavkat Mirziyoyev
A state of emergency was in force in Uzbekistan's autonomous Karakalpakstan region Sunday after eyewitnesses told AFP that police had broken up a second night of anti-government protests in the administrative centre Nukus.
Strongman leader Shavkat Mirziyoyev was visiting the region for a second time in an attempt to calm a crisis that saw thousands take to the streets Friday and caused him to backpedal over draft constitutional amendments that would have weakened the republic's autonomy.
Internet in the region remains restricted but a drip of videos, mostly shared via the Telegram app, has raised concerns that a security crackdown has left multiple people dead.
Uzbek authorities have made no mention of any casualties so far, and lawmaker Bobur Bekmurodov complained of "shameless provocations" as internet users shared footage of men in uniform moving through a street covered in red liquid on Twitter.
