Kazakhstan did not grant refugee status to Karakalpak activists detained at the request of Uzbekistan

Kazakhstan refused to grant refugee status to Karakalpak activists Koshkarbai Toremuratov and Zhangeldy Zhaksymbetov, who were detained in 2022 at the request of Uzbekistan. Karakalpak diaspora activist Akylbek Muratbai writes about this on Twitter.

According to Muratbai, the decision not to grant asylum to the two activists was issued by the citizenship commission on July 31, but this became known only now.

Kazakh security forces detained Koshkarbai Toremuratov and Zhangeldy Zhaksymbetov in Almaty in 2023. Uzbekistan put them on the international wanted list after protests in Karakalpakstan and accuses the activists of “attacking the constitutional order of the republic.” were also detained Later, activists Raisa Khudaybergenova and Ziuar Mirmanbetova . All four asked for asylum in Kazakhstan.

How did the protests develop in Karakalpakstan?

• Protests in the region in July 2022 began after the government of Uzbekistan published a draft of a new constitution for the country, which, if adopted, would not allow the region to hold a referendum on secession from Uzbekistan.

• The country's authorities limited access to the Internet during the protests, and later actually turned it off in the region for two weeks. More than 20 people died during the protests - these are only confirmed deaths. More than 200 more people were injured, and hundreds were detained.

• The government of Uzbekistan, fearing a repeat of the 2005 massacre of protesters that led to the weakening of the previous president's regime, removed amendments regarding Karakalpakstan from the draft constitution.

• You can learn more about the protests in Karakalpakstan from our cards .