24 people who were imprisoned due to demonstrations are released in Karakalpakstan

The 24 suspects were returned by the General Prosecutor’s Office to their families on the basis of public guarantees and at the suggestion of the members of the Commission, which has been independently investigating the events in Karakalpakstan and at the request of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Karakalpakstan.

The preventive measure of detention has been replaced by a measure of public control and house arrest on the basis of the principle of humanity.  This was reported by the Ombudsman.

In this case, attention was paid to the the facts that these citizens regret their actions during the events in Karakalpakstan, they have minor children in their care, some come from low-income families and some of them are the sole breadwinners in their families.  

The Commission had previously requested that the office of the Procurator-General to change the preventive measure imposed on a group of citizens serving sentences in connection with the events in Karakalpakstan to a more lenient one.

It should be recalled that on 1 and 2 July of the current year, in the city of Nukus of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, some citizens, having misinterpreted the constitutional reforms underway in the Republic of Uzbekistan, organized unexpected demonstrations.

The Supreme Council of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Karakalpakstan assessed the situation as an attempt to seize the state administration in Nukus.

After that, on 2 July, the president of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev arrived in Karakalpakstan and talked with the Karakalpak people.

In addition, taking into account that the discussion of the changes and additions to the Constitution is still ongoing, and after considering the opinions and comments expressed by the people of Karakalpakstan, the president approved those articles 70, 71, 72, 74, 75 of the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan in their current version should be left unchanged.

4 July, the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis (Parliament) of Uzbekistan adopted a decision not to amend the articles of the Constitution relating to Karakalpakstan.

During the incidents, 516 people were arrested, 243 injured and 18 killed.  The case was opened under article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan (infringement of the constitutional order of the Republic of Uzbekistan), part 4 – “Conspiracy to seize government or overthrow the constitutional order of the Republic of Uzbekistan”.