Reform Crisis in Uzbekistan and the Karakalpak Protests

President Shavkat Mirziyoev initiated several constitutional amendments in Uzbekistan at the end of June which have reminded the world about the autonomous republic of Karakalpakstan, bordering the dying Aral Sea. Efforts to diminish the Republic’s autonomy resulted in mass protests that unfortunately turned deadly. Join us to explore the reasons that prompted Mirziyoev’s constitutional amendments, Tashkent’s difficulties in encouraging further reforms, and the future of Karakalpak people’s autonomy.

Speakers

Navbahor Imamova, Anchor, Editor and Producer, Uzbek Service, South and Central Asia Division, Voice of America, President, VOA Women’s Caucus;

Temur Umarov is a Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the OSCE Academy (Bishkek);

Dr. Akram Umarov is Director of the Afghanistan Research Group and Associate Professor at the University of World Economy and Diplomacy;

Yuriy Sarukhanian, International Relations specialist. Author of analytical Telegram channel Seriya Penalti;

Moderator: Marlene Laruelle, Ph.D., Director of the Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies; Director of the Central Asia Program; Director of the Illiberalism Studies Program; Co-Director of PONARS Eurasia; and Research Professor of International Affairs at The George Washington University.