By Aman Sagidullayev, WLC member and Leader of the Alga Karakalpakstan Party
Four years have passed since Uzbek security forces opened fire on peaceful demonstrators in Nukus, the capital of the Republic of Karakalpakstan. The tragedy became one of the deadliest episodes of political violence in Central Asia’s modern history. Yet, four years later, the full truth remains hidden.
Impunity for gross human rights violations threatens not only the people of Karakalpakstan but also the international human rights system as a whole. When the killing of peaceful protesters, torture, enforced disappearances, and arbitrary detentions are left without an independent investigation or accountability, it sets a dangerous precedent, undermines respect for international law, and encourages future abuses.
To this day, the Uzbek authorities have failed to publish the findings of the state investigative commission established after the July 2022 events. The identities of many of those killed have never been officially disclosed. The families of the victims continue to wait for answers, while the international community still lacks a complete and independent account of what happened.
The July 2022 protests began after the Government of Uzbekistan proposed constitutional amendments that would have stripped Karakalpakstan of its constitutional status and eliminated its constitutional right to hold a referendum on its future. Tens of thousands of residents took to the streets to peacefully defend their constitutional rights and express their opposition to the proposed amendments.
The state’s response was brutal.
Independent human rights organizations documented the use of firearms, grenade launchers, and other forms of excessive force against protesters. During the crackdown, the authorities imposed a complete internet and mobile communications blackout, effectively preventing independent documentation of the events. According to independent human rights defenders, more than 200 people were killed, thousands were injured and arbitrarily detained, and numerous reports soon emerged of torture, enforced disappearances, and deaths in custody.
One of the earliest and most comprehensive international investigations into the tragedy was the report “The Shooting of Peaceful Protesters in Karakalpakstan,” The Shooting of Peaceful Protesters in Karakalpakstan – Open Dialogue Foundation prepared by the Open Dialogue Foundation in cooperation with the #ActivistsNotExtremists coalition of human rights organizations. The report documents eyewitness testimonies, mass arbitrary detentions, torture, enforced disappearances, intimidation of witnesses and victims’ relatives, and attempts by the authorities to conceal the true scale of the tragedy.
Following the events, then-United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet called for a prompt, independent, transparent, and effective international investigation. Four years later, that call remains unanswered. Instead of ensuring genuine accountability, the Uzbek authorities established a domestic investigative commission whose independence has been questioned by international human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch.
