Eighteen people have been killed and at least 243 others injured during protests in Uzbekistan's autonomous province of Karakalpakstan.

The national guard press office said that security forces arrested 516 people while dispersing the protesters last Friday but have now released many of them.

On Friday, protests broke out in the autonomous region of Karakalpakstan in Uzbekistan over proposed amendments by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to the Constitution of Uzbekistan which would have ended Karakalpakstan's status as an autonomous region of Uzbekistan and right to secede from Uzbekistan via referendum.

A day after protests had begun in the Karakalpak capital of Nukus, President Mirziyoyev withdrew the constitutional amendments. The Karakalpak government said that protesters had attempted to storm government buildings.

Despite concessions given by the Uzbek government in preserving Karakalpakstan's autonomy, protests continued growing, resulting in internet blockage throughout Karakalpakstan on 2 July, and President Mirziyoyev declaring a state of emergency in the region. (ILKHA)