Death, Detention, Deportation: The Plight of Karakalpak Activists
Karakalpak activists are experiencing problems in Kazakhstan and in Europe. Trouble started after Uzbek security forces brutally suppressed a peaceful protest over the region’s sovereignty within Uzbekistan in Nukus, capital of the Karakalpakstan Sovereign Republic, in July 2022. This year, a leading Karakalpak activists died in Kazakhstan while another is currently detained there. Two more Karakalpak activists in Europe face possible deportation. Joining host Bruce Pannier to look at the recent difficulties Karakalpak activists are facing are guests Arzu, a pseudonym for a Karakalpak activist now living outside Uzbekistan; Catherine Putz, managing editor at The Diplomat magazine; Leila Seiitbek, chairwoman of the NGO Freedom for Eurasia; and Steve Swerdlow, a rights lawyer who has spent many years focusing on Central Asia and is currently an associate professor at the University of Southern California.
(NOTE: Arzu’s comments have been voiced over to protect family and friends in Karakalpakstan)