NOV. 28 2022 (The Bulletin) — A trial started in Bukhara, Uzbekistan, for 20 people who are accused of “undermining the constitutional order” with anti-government protests in Nukus in July. The trial was only announced the day before it started. It is unclear why it is being held in Bukhara and not Nukus or Tashkent. The anti-government protests were unprecedented and represented a real threat to central government’s authority. They were triggered by changes in the constitution that removed some independence from Karakalpakstan, a nominally autonomous republic, although analysts said that poverty and frustration were key drivers.
ENDS
— This story was published in issue 530 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on Dec. 4 2022
— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2022