Zafar Alimov, head of the Uzbek National Guard Department, said he “had received evidence confirming the involvement of external forces in the recent unrest in the autonomous region of Karakalpakstan in the west of the country, where foreign citizens were detained.”

At a press conference for foreign and local journalists in Nukus, the capital of Karakalpakstan, he explained that “the results of the investigation launched immediately after the riots in Nukus convincingly prove that it (the riots) was not accidental, but rather was prepared in advance”, and confirmed the fact of “detention of foreigners in Nukus”, noting that “the situation in the city has completely stabilized, no violations of public order have been recorded over the past day. “

Mass riots broke out in Karakalpakstan on July 1 and 2 amid proposed amendments to the country’s constitution. President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev declared a state of emergency in the region and decided to cancel constitutional amendments that would deprive Karakalpakstan of the status of a sovereign republic within Uzbekistan and the right to withdraw from it after a referendum.