Uzbekistan jails another 28 over deadly autonomy protests

Uzbekistan handed down long jail terms Friday to nearly 30 people for their role in deadly protests last year against government plans to limit the autonomy of an isolated western region.

The most populous country in ex-Soviet Central Asia, Uzbekistan is undergoing slow reforms after decades of dictatorial rule under former leader Islam Karimov, but is still criticized for its rights record.

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The protests in July forced a rare U-turn from autocratic leader Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who scrapped planned constitutional changes that sparked the demonstrations.

The changes would have undermined self-determination in the republic of Karakalpakstan and the protests against them officially left 21 people dead.

Thirty-nine people appeared in a court in Bukhara in the southwest of the country on charges relating to rioting, looting or weapons possession, the supreme court said.

Twenty-eight were sentenced to terms ranging from five to 11 years.

Eleven more who were initially handed five-year terms had their sentences downgraded to a suspended sentence following a request from a government commission, the Uzbek human rights representative said.

In total, 171 people face charges over the protests and in late January, 16 people were sentenced to terms between three and 16 years in prison. Three police officers were also charged.

Human Rights Watch said last year that the authorities had “unjustifiably used lethal force” to disperse the protests.

Friday’s verdicts came several days after a visit from UN Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk, who urged a “transparent and independent investigation” and “fair trials” over the unrest.

Uzbekistan is scheduled to hold a referendum in April on constitutional reforms, which, if adopted, would introduce seven-year presidential terms and allow Mirzioev to run for two new terms.

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