Exiled activists from Uzbekistan could face persecution back home if they are extradited from Kazakhstan, human rights campaigners have warned.
Five activists from Karakalpakstan, an autonomous republic in Uzbekistan, were arrested and detained in Kazakhstan last year in the wake of the Uzbek government’s violent suppression of unrest in the region – unrest that they deny involvement in.
The protests erupted in Nukus, Karakalpakstan’s capital, after the republic’s autonomy came under threat from the central Uzbek authorities. At least 21 people died and 240 were injured after police violently broke up the demonstrations, according to Human Rights Watch.
