At least six people were killed today (Sunday) and dozens more injured after the Uzbek army began suppressing protests in the city of Nukos, the capital of the northwestern province of Karakalpakstan, an autonomous republic within the territory of Uzbekistan.
Videos posted on social media showed casualties evacuated from the protest scene after explosives were smashed entering the city, a population of nearly 300,000 people.
Another video released shows police and army forces evacuating protesters from a main avenue in the city, with the street flooded with red liquid.
According to state reports, the red liquid is not blood but dyed water used to disperse protesters.
Uzbekistan: Wounded and killed in protest of an autonomous province in the country
However, evidence of violence in the suppression of the protest came from several media outlets and reports of deaths and injuries flowed from independent journalists active in the country.
Photos of protesters injured by gunfire were posted on the social network Twitter and local activists posted calls for help.
Authorities have declared a regional emergency and banned all gatherings across the county.
The protest began after it became known in May that the president, Beckett Mirzayev, intended to abolish the autonomous status of the region, following a demand for full independence from the Karkalpaks.
However, the president announced this morning that he had withdrawn from the decision and called on the heads of the autonomy to participate in the negotiations for power in Tashkent.
Yesterday, the president participated in a round of talks with the heads of the autonomy and also met with the protest leaders.
The demonstrations are the biggest threat to Mirzeyev's rule since he came to power in the country since 2016.
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