Officials in the region of Karakalpakstan say thousands of people are being treated in hospital.
Officials in the Uzbek region of Karakalpakstan say thousands of people are being treated in hospital, after being injured during unrest on Friday.Clashes broke out with the security forces when protesters took to the streets over plans to withdraw the territory's right to secede.But at a meeting with local deputies on Sunday, he accused what he called malicious forces of trying to destabilise and undermine the situation in the Central Asian state.
"Taking advantage of their numerical superiority, these men attacked law enforcement officers, severely beating them and inflicting severe injuries," he was quoted as saying by AFP news agency.Uzbekistan has a reputation for being one of the most repressive republics of the former Soviet Union, clamping down on any form of dissent.
Reports say police and the army are patrolling the streets of Nukus, after the state of emergency was declared. Mr Ahunov, who is chairman of the opposition Berlik party, said he feared the potential for the situation to escalate into an ethnic conflict between Uzbeks and Karakalpaks, a minority group with their own language.
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