UN demands probe into deaths in Uzbekistan mass protests
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Michelle Bachelet is calling for an independent investigation into the 18 deaths that happened during the protests, calling the country out on human rights violations.
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Protests in Uzbekistan have, at large, caused the government to carry out violence against citizens. (Anadolu Agency)
On Tuesday, UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet called for an independent investigation into the deadly clashes happening in Uzbekistan, which is witnessing unprecedented protests.
On Monday, Uzbek authorities revealed that 18 people died in the mass protests, which happened in the autonomous region of Karakalpakstan on Friday when demonstrations erupted in the area over planned constitutional changes affecting the territory's status.
Protesters have their foot down against security forces, posing the most significant challenge to the ruling of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. The President assumed his position in 2016 when long-serving mentor Islam Karimov died.
"The reports we have received about serious violence, including killings, during the protests are very concerning. I call on the authorities to exercise utmost restraint," Bachelet said in a statement. "I urge the authorities to immediately open a transparent and independent investigation into any allegations of criminal acts committed in that context, including violations by agents of the state."
In #Uzbekistan street protests are illegal (and rare). This is the number of protesters who took to the streets of #nukus, a city with a little over 300,000 inhabitants pic.twitter.com/ZJCSUAA1fD
— Agnieszka Pikulicka (@Aga_Pik) July 2, 2022
On Saturday, a month-long state of emergency was declared in the northwestern province of Karakalpakstan.
Bachelet, the former president of Chile, said over 500 people were detained, expressing worry that one person had already been charged and could be facing up to 20 years in prison.
"People should not be criminalised for exercising their rights," she said. "Under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Uzbekistan is a state party, everyone has the right to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and the right to participate in public affairs."
Bachelet stressed that all those detained should have access to a lawyer and their fair trial guarantees ensured.
Against the backdrop of the internet shutdown, the service must be restored immediately as a right to freedom of expression and access to information, she argued.
