Editing History of Uzbekistan (section)

==1991 to present==
[[File:Youth of Uzbekistan.png|thumb|right|A group of youth in Uzbekistan, 1995]]
=== Soviet coup attempt, the Transition Period and the end of the Soviet Union ===
{{Main|1991 Soviet coup attempt|Dissolution of the Soviet Union|Transition period and cessation of the existence of the Soviet Union|Succession, continuity and legacy of the Soviet Union}}
The [[1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt|attempted coup]] against the Gorbachev government by disaffected hard-liners in Moscow, which occurred in August 1991, was a catalyst for independence movements throughout the Soviet Union. Despite [[Uzbekistan]]'s initial hesitancy to oppose the coup, the [[Supreme Soviet]] of Uzbekistan declared the republic independent on August 31, 1991.
=== Independent country and the Commonwealth ===
{{main|Belovezha Accords|Alma-Ata Protocol|Common Economic Space of the Commonwealth of Independent States|Mobility rights arrangements of the Commonwealth of Independent States|Military of the Commonwealth of Independent States}}

[[Post-Soviet countries]] have signed a [[Succession, continuity and legacy of the Soviet Union|series of treaties and agreements to settle the legacy of the former Soviet Union]] multilaterally and bilaterally.

In December 1991, an independence referendum was passed with 98.2 percent of the popular vote. The same month, a parliament was elected and Karimov was chosen the new nation's first president.<ref name=ind>Lubin, Nancy. "Independence". [http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/uztoc.html ''A Country Study: Uzbekistan''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130831195935/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/uztoc.html |date=2013-08-31 }} (Glenn E. Curtis, editor). [[Library of Congress]] [[Federal Research Division]] (March 1996). ''This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the [[public domain]].''</ref>

Although Uzbekistan had not sought independence, when events brought them to that point, Karimov and his government moved quickly to adapt themselves to the new realities. They realized that under the [[Commonwealth of Independent States]], the loose federation proposed to replace the Soviet Union, no central government would provide the subsidies to which Uzbek governments had become accustomed for the previous 70 years. Old economic ties would have to be reexamined and new markets and economic mechanisms established. Although Uzbekistan as defined by the Soviets had never had independent foreign relations, diplomatic relations would have to be established with foreign countries quickly. Investment and foreign credits would have to be attracted, a formidable challenge in light of Western restrictions on financial aid to nations restricting expression of political dissent. For example, the suppression of internal dissent in 1992 and 1993 had an unexpectedly chilling effect on foreign investment. Uzbekistan's image in the West alternated in the ensuing years between an attractive, stable experimental zone for investment and a post-Soviet dictatorship whose human rights record made financial aid inadvisable. Such alternation exerted strong influence on the political and economic fortunes of the new republic in its first five years.<ref name=ind/>

In 1992 Uzbekistan adopted a new constitution, but the main opposition party, Birlik, was banned, and a pattern of media suppression began. In 1995 a national referendum extended Karimov's term of office from 1997 to 2000. A series of violent incidents in eastern Uzbekistan in 1998 and 1999 intensified government activity against [[Islamic extremism|Islamic extremist groups]], other forms of opposition, and minorities. In 2000 Karimov was reelected overwhelmingly in an election whose procedures received international criticism. Later that year, Uzbekistan began laying mines along the Tajikistan border, creating a serious new regional issue and intensifying Uzbekistan's image as a regional hegemon. In the early 2000s, tensions also developed with neighboring states Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan. In the mid-2000s, a mutual defense treaty substantially enhanced relations between Russia and Uzbekistan. Tension with Kyrgyzstan increased in 2006 when Uzbekistan demanded extradition of hundreds of refugees who had fled from Andijon into Kyrgyzstan after the riots. A series of border incidents also inflamed tensions with neighboring Tajikistan. In 2006 Karimov continued arbitrary dismissals and shifts of subordinates in the government, including one deputy prime minister.<ref name=cp/>

The activities of missionaries from some Islamic countries, coupled with the absence of real opportunities to participate in public affairs, contributed to the popularization of a radical interpretation of [[Islam]]. In the February [[1999 Tashkent bombings]], car bombs hit Tashkent and President Karimov narrowly escaped an assassination attempt. The government blamed the [[Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan]] (IMU) for the attacks. Thousands of people suspected of complicity were arrested and imprisoned. In August 2000, militant groups tried to penetrate Uzbek territory from Kyrgyzstan; acts of armed violence were noted in the southern part of the country as well.

In March 2004, another wave of attacks shook the country. These were reportedly committed by an international terrorist network. An explosion in the central part of [[Bukhara]] killed ten people in a house allegedly used by terrorists on March 28, 2004. Later that day, policemen were attacked at a factory, and early the following morning a police traffic check point was attacked. The violence escalated on March 29, when two women separately set off bombs near the main bazaar in [[Tashkent]], killing two people and injuring around 20. These were the first [[Suicide attack|suicide bombers]] in Uzbekistan. On the same day, three police officers were shot dead. In [[Bukhara]], another explosion at a suspected terrorist bomb factory caused ten fatalities. The following day police raided an alleged militant hideout south of the capital city.

President Karimov claimed the attacks were probably the work of a banned radical group [[Hizb ut-Tahrir]] ("The Party of Liberation"), although the group denied responsibility. Other groups that might have been responsible include militant groups operating from camps in [[Tajikistan]] and [[Afghanistan]] and opposed to the government's support of the [[United States]] since September 11, 2001.

In 2004, British ambassador [[Craig Murray]] was removed from his post after speaking out against the regime's human rights abuses and British collusion therein.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/oct/22/politics.foreignpolicy | work=The Guardian | location=London | title=Ex-envoy to face discipline charges, says FO | first=Ewen | last=MacAskill | date=October 22, 2004 | access-date=May 4, 2010 | archive-date=August 28, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130828090611/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/oct/22/politics.foreignpolicy | url-status=live }}</ref>

On July 30, 2004, terrorists bombed the embassies of [[Israel]] and the [[United States]] in Tashkent, killing three people and wounding several. The Jihad Group in Uzbekistan posted a claim of responsibility for those attacks on a website linked to [[Al-Qaeda]]. Terrorism experts say the reason for the attacks is Uzbekistan's support of the United States and its [[War on terror]].

In May 2005, several hundred demonstrators were killed when Uzbek troops fired into a crowd protesting against the imprisonment of 23 local businessmen. (For further details, see [[Andijan massacre|2005 Andijan Unrest]].)

In July 2005, the Uzbek government gave the US 180 days' notice to leave the airbase it had leased in Uzbekistan. A Russian airbase and a German airbase remain.

In December 2007 Islam A. Karimov was reelected to power in a fraudulent election. Western election observers noted that the election failed to meet many [[Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe|OSCE]] benchmarks for democratic elections, the elections were held in a strictly controlled environment, and there had been no real opposition since all the candidates publicly endorsed the incumbent. Human rights activists reported various cases of multiple voting throughout the country as well as official pressure on voters at polling stations to cast ballots for Karimov.<ref name="cbsnews1">{{cite news|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/12/24/ap/world/main3644754.shtml?source=search_story |title=Uzbek Leader Wins New Term |publisher=[[CBS News]] |date=2007-12-24 }}{{dead link|date=August 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> The BBC reported that many people were afraid to vote for anyone other than the president.<ref name="bbcnews1">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/7159292.stm|title=Uzbek president wins third term|work=BBC News|date=2007-12-24|access-date=January 5, 2010|archive-date=2008-03-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080307015418/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/7159292.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> According to the constitution Karimov was ineligible to stand as a candidate, having already served two consecutive presidential terms and thus his candidature was illegal.<ref name = "nytimes1"/><ref name = "guardian1"/>

The lead up to the elections was characterized by the secret police arresting dozens of opposition activists and putting them in jail including Yusuf Djumayaev, an opposition poet. Several news organizations, including ''[[The New York Times]]'', the [[BBC]] and the [[Associated Press]], were denied credentials to cover the election.<ref name="nytimes1">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/25/world/asia/25uzbek.html|title=Uzbekistan Re-elects Its President|newspaper=The New York Times|date=2007-12-25|first=David L.|last=Stern|access-date=May 4, 2010|archive-date=2011-09-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110920091909/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/25/world/asia/25uzbek.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Around 300 dissidents were in jail in 2007, including [[Jamshid Karimov]], the president's 41-year-old nephew.<ref name="guardian1">{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/international/story/0,,2231886,00.html | title=Uzbek president returned in election 'farce' | newspaper=The Guardian | date=2007-12-24 | location=London | first=Luke | last=Harding | access-date=May 4, 2010 | archive-date=2023-02-02 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230202215314/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/dec/24/international.mainsection | url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2016, [[Islam Karimov]] died after suffered with stroke for almost a week earlier, while still being a president and was replaced by [[Shavkat Mirziyoyev]], who was Uzbekistan's interim leader since the death of Islam Karimov. In December 2016, Shavkat Mirziyoyev won the presidential [[2016 Uzbek presidential election|election]] with signs of fraud.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/05/uzbekistan-elects-shavkat-mirziyoyev-president-islam-karimov Uzbekistan elects Shavkat Mirziyoyev as president] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230202215308/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/05/uzbekistan-elects-shavkat-mirziyoyev-president-islam-karimov |date=2023-02-02 }} Retrieved May 4, 2021.</ref>

On 6 November 2021, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev was sworn into his second term in office, after gaining a landslide victory in presidential [[2021 Uzbek presidential election|election.]]<ref>{{cite news |title=Uzbek president secures second term in landslide election victory |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/10/25/uzbek-president-secures-second-term-in-landslide-election-victory |work=www.aljazeera.com |date=25 October 2021 |language=en |access-date=20 December 2021 |archive-date=2 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230202215317/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/10/25/uzbek-president-secures-second-term-in-landslide-election-victory |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Uzbek president pledges constitutional reform {{!}} Eurasianet |url=https://eurasianet.org/uzbek-president-pledges-constitutional-reform |work=eurasianet.org |date=7 November 2021 |language=en |access-date=20 December 2021 |archive-date=2 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230202215319/https://eurasianet.org/uzbek-president-pledges-constitutional-reform |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 1 July 2022 [[2022 Karakalpak protests|protests broke out]] in the autonomous region of [[Karakalpakstan]] over proposed amendments 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. They were brutally suppressed, at least 18 people were killed.<ref>{{Cite web |date=4 July 2022 |title=Uzbekistan: End use of unlawful force against Karakalpakstan protesters |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/07/uzbekistan-end-use-of-unlawful-force-against-karakalpakstan-protesters/ |access-date=4 July 2022 |website=[[Amnesty International]] |archive-date=5 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220705122319/https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/07/uzbekistan-end-use-of-unlawful-force-against-karakalpakstan-protesters/ |url-status=live }}</ref>