The record of the interrogation of the former head of Karakalpakstan is of interest, although it reflects the official point of view.
At the same time, on some points, he differs significantly from the testimony of the current head of Karakalpakstan and the main defendant in the case of unrest, Dauletmurat Tazhimuratov.
Witness interrogation protocol.
October 24, 2022 Tashkent city
A member of the investigation team of the General Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Colonel of Justice A. Zufarov, in his office, in compliance with the requirements of Articles 96-108, 114-20 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Republic of Uzbekistan, interrogated as a witness:
Interrogation began at 12:30 p.m.
Surname, name, patronymic: Kamalov Murat Kallibekovich
Date of birth: June 24, 1955
Place of birth: Nukus city, Republic of Karakalpakstan
Nationality: Karakalpak
Citizenship: Republic of Uzbekistan
Marital status: Married, has 2 children
Education: Higher, in 1977 he graduated from the Higher Red Banner School of the KGB of the USSR named after F.E. Dzerzhinsky, lawyer-jurist
Place of work: From 2020-2022 Chairman of the Jokargy Kenes of the Republic of Karakalpakstan
What awards does he have: None.
Whether he is a deputy: Deputy of Jokargy Kenes
Relation to military service: Conscripted
Criminal record: No previous convictions
Place of residence: Republic of Karakalpakstan, Nukus city, residence of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Karakalpakstan
Passport: Identified
Attitude towards the accused
Attitude towards the victim
(Further in the protocol there is an explanation of the rights and obligations of the witness, provided for in Article 66 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Republic of Uzbekistan)
Before the beginning of the interrogation, the witness M.K. Kamalov stated that he did not need the services of a defense lawyer.
He was warned about criminal liability under articles 238, 240 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan for giving false testimony and for refusing to give evidence.
Question: In what language would you like to testify?
Answer: I wish to give my testimony in Russian, which I have a perfect command of.
In terms of the questions asked, I would like to explain the following:
I live at the above address with my family. I am not registered in the narcological and psychoneurological dispensaries. We have no previous convictions and have not been held administratively liable.
After graduating from the Higher School of the KGB in 1977, I served in various positions in the KGB of the Uzbek SSR until 1987.
From 1987 to 1990 he worked as a junior researcher at the Institute of Philosophy and Law of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
Then, from 1990 to 1996, he was the director of the representative office of the Association for Cooperation with Foreign States “Karakalpakintorg” under the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Karakalpakstan in the city of Tashkent.
In 1996-2010, General Director of the subsidiary “Stellor” in the city of Tashkent.
In 2010-2018, he was a consultant at the law office “Legal Business Consulting Agency” in the city of Tashkent.
From 2018 to 2020, he was the head of the State Security Service for the Republic of Karakalpakstan.
In June 2020, by order of the Administration of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, I was appointed director of the International Innovation Center of the Aral Sea region under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
In 2020, I was elected Chairman of the Jokargy Kenes of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, Deputy Chairman of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan and worked in this position until August 2022.
On July 1, 2022, as usual, I performed my duties in the office of Jokarga Kenes.
At about 2:00 pm, my assistants informed me about the provocative speech of Tadzhimuratov Daulet after the Friday prayer near one of the mosques in the city of Nukus. In his provocative speech, which was circulated on social networks, Tadzhimuratov Daulet called for a rally on July 05, 2022, in connection with the alleged amendments to the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan regarding articles 70, 71, 72, 74, 75 and that he applied with the corresponding by request to Jocari Kenes.
After that, I immediately instructed my assistant Nazhimov Kamal to find this appeal. However, on July 01, 2022, there was no such request among the registered incoming documents. As it turned out later, this request was left by an unknown courier in the mailbox of Jokargy Kenes, located near the checkpoint at the entrance to the building.
Thus, not having this request in hand, I continued to work and instructed to take control of the receipt of a request from Tadzhimuratov Dauletmurat.
I also phoned the leadership of the State Security Service for the Republic of Karakalpakstan and informed about the speech of Tadzhimuratov Daulet, to which I was told that they were aware of the situation and were dealing with this issue. After that, I continued to do my current business.
Then, at about 17.00, the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Karakalpakstan and the head of the SSS Department for the Republic of Karakalpakstan informed me that a group of people, in the amount of 30-40 people, was gathering at the place of residence of Tadzhimuratov Dauletmurat with demands to explain the location of D. Tadzhimuratov. I instructed both of them to take appropriate measures to stabilize the situation and disband the assembled people. All conversations took place either over mobile communications, as well as through government lines.
The Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Karakalpakstan said that he is at the place where people gather and is taking appropriate measures to stabilize the situation.
At about 5:30 pm, my assistant Kamal Nazhimov reported to me that a large group of people were walking along Amir Temur Street.
Further, at about 17.38, the khokim of the city of Nukus reported that the indicated group of people was moving along Karakalpakstan Street towards Uzbekistan Guzari Street in the direction of Dekhan Market.
During this period, I began to regularly call up the leadership of the State Security Service, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Prosecutor’s Office, the Deputy Council of Ministers of the Republic of Karakalpakstan Rustam Tursunbayevich Saparbayev, through whom I clarified the situation.
I want to clarify that in connection with the initial information that among the participants in the crowd there are, including relatives and acquaintances of D. Tadzhimuratov, I considered it appropriate to involve a patriotic relative of D. Tadzhimuratov, Kaniyazov Alisher, to convince the relatives to stop all kinds of provocative and illegal actions, induce them to disperse, and invite the initiative group for discussion in the Council of Ministers.
After that, I called Kaniyazov Alisher and, explaining the current situation, asked him to leave for the place of the gathering and try to calm the relatives of D. Tadzhimuratov and disperse. Then I repeatedly (called) the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Karakalpakstan and handed him the number of Kaniyazov Alisher, instructed him to use him as a relative to calm people down.
However, due to the fact that barrage measures were introduced during this period, he could not reach the scene. Having learned about this, I told him to drive up in his car to the barrier of the building of the Council of Ministers. In his presence, having phoned the head of the State Security Service of Karakalpakstan and having clarified the situation, I agreed and decided to go to the scene of events together with Kaniyazov Alisher in order to persuade the active group of people involved to negotiate in the premises of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Karakalpakstan. I also instructed the Minister of Internal Affairs and the head of the State Security Service for the Republic of Karakalpakstan to meet me, ensure security and conditions for negotiations.
At 6:08 pm, meeting Kaniyazov Alisher at the building of the Council of Ministers, I drove out in a Toyota Land Cruiser 200 car with the number 95 201 QAA. On the way, the head of the State Security Service of the Republic of Karakalpakstan said that it was better to go through the Tashkent hotel, since other roads were closed.
Arriving at the place of gathering of people near the bridge, in the direction of the Dekhkan Bazaar, at about 18.18, I discussed the situation with the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, turned to the crowd of people to find out who among them was authorized or, so to speak, “activist”, with whom negotiation. None of the crowd volunteered to come out and talk. Cries in the Karakalpak language were constantly heard in the crowd demanding the release of D. Tadzhimuratov. The number of people gathered near the market at that moment was, according to my calculations, about 500 people, while taking into account the fact that this was happening near the market, the number of those who accumulated increased. I contacted the crowd several times to find out who the so-called “leader” was among them in order to talk to him. However, no one came out, only relatives. Then I went back to my car. I was accompanied by the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, Deputy Commander of the National Guard of the Republic of Uzbekistan Ibragimov, as well as law enforcement officers. I got into my car to return to Jokargy Kenes, but people began to surround my car, blocked the exit, as a result of which the movement of my car was completely blocked.
Ibragimov, as well as Kaniyazov Alisher and driver Karazhanov Akhmet, were in the car with me for security purposes.
The physical protection of the car was provided by law enforcement officers, as the number of protesters began to increase, some began to behave aggressively, from the crowd they threw bottles at law enforcement officers who were in uniform. Trying to calm the crowd, I got out of the car several times, where they also threw empty eggplants and water bottles at me from the crowd. In particular, as far as I remember, once the eggplant hit me in the neck, once in the forearm, once somewhere in the torso.
I want to note that despite the fact that no one volunteered to act as a leader from the crowd, there was an impression that there was still consistency in the actions of the crowd. In particular, in the crowd, the protesters in an organized manner and with one voice loudly chanted “Daulet”.
Then some protesters began to break through the cordon of law enforcement officers and try to climb onto the roof of my car. But employees resisted such attempts. The crowd became more aggressive, there was active resistance to law enforcement officers, it came to assault. That is, people from the crowd kicked employees in official uniforms, hit the car, the windows of the car.
Some tried to look into the car. In a private one, one of the men hit the windshield, to which I told the driver to lower the driver’s window a little. The man who looked in introduced himself as “Pulat” and said that he was a relative of D. Tadzhimuratov, saying that if D. Tadzhimuratov was released, the crowd would disperse. To which I told him that soon you will see him with your own eyes.
Being in constant contact via mobile communication with the head of the State Security Service for the Republic of Karakalpakstan, he told me that D. Tadzhimuratov would be brought to the bridge. Then I asked Alisher Kaniyazov to go out and try to go through the crowd to the bridge to meet D. Tadzhimuratov, and convince him to calm the crowd and go home. Kaniyazov Alisher got out of the car and headed into the crowd.
Further, some time later, I was told that D. Tadzhimuratov was on the roof of my company car. Then I decided to also go up to the roof in order to convince him to calm the crowd and tell people about the need to stop the riots and return home.
Having risen to the roof, for the first time I saw D. Tadzhimuratov live, before that I had never met him. I demanded that D. Tadzhimuratov appeal to the crowd about the need to stop the riots and observe the rule of law. In order for him to be heard in the crowd, he was given loudspeakers. However, it seemed that he was deliberately playing for time under the pretext that the crowd could not hear him, asking for loudspeakers of stronger power.
On the roof of my car, next to D. Tadzhimuratov, there were several men of athletic build. One of the most active of them was called “Ahmed”. D. Tadzhimyratov’s acquaintances were also in the crowd, to whom he indicated with gestures and words what to do.
I also want to note that D. Tadzhimuratov was offered a mobile phone several times (twice, I think) and he talked to someone. I didn’t hear the conversation. But he listened more than he spoke. Also, someone from the crowd left him a chapan with national patterns, as well as a national headdress, which was put on by people who were next to him on the roof. When D. Tadzhimuratov picked up the flag of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, I, in order to demonstrate the unity and indivisibility of the people of Uzbekistan, repeatedly appealed to the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Karakalpakstan to deliver and give me the flag of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
I constantly brought to D. Tadzhimuratov about the need to stop provocative behavior, comply with laws and consider existing issues in accordance with the law. He promised to call on people to disperse, but to provide him with the technical capabilities so that everyone could hear him.
When the equipment was provided, D. Tadzhimuratov, instead of calling to disperse and observe law and order, he said that he managed to attract the attention of the UN and he urged everyone to take part in the rally on July 05, although there was no official response to his appeal regarding the rally was. In response to this kind of statement by D. Tadzhimuratov, I took the microphone from him and addressed the audience and said “watanlaslar”, observe the rule of law, all issues must be resolved in accordance with the law, take part in the referendum, your every vote will be taken into account.
Then I told D. Tadzhimuratov to urge the citizens to disperse as soon as possible, to clear the road for my car to pass, and he went home. I myself went downstairs to my car. And he hoped that D. Tadzhimuratov and the people who were on the roof with him did the same, or that it was done by law enforcement officers. I had no idea that he was still there.
It should be emphasized that the windshield of the car was broken by the attackers into a small web, which made it impossible to see the surroundings. In the car with me were my driver Akhmed Karazhanov, Deputy Commander of the National Guard of the Republic of Uzbekistan Ibragimov, who was sitting in the front seat next to the driver. On the sides of the car in a dense barrier were law enforcement officers. Ibragimov supported the front windshield with his feet.
We moved as far as possible, in a “live” corridor. I repeatedly asked the head of the State Security Service of the Republic of Karakalpakstan in which direction I should move. To which he later told me about the need to move in the direction of the military camp.
Due to the large crowd of people, we could not lay the route ourselves, it seemed to me that the law enforcement officers were clearing the way for us. We were moving very slowly. After driving for a certain time, according to the behavior of the crowd, it seemed to me that D. Tadzhimuratov was still on the roof of the car. Then I asked the driver to stop the car, and when I got out I saw that indeed D. Tadzhimuratov was still on the roof and several people were with him. Then I rudely demanded that he get off the roof of the car. Then we proceeded in the direction of the military camp, where I arrived at 22.26 hours.
Question : Tell me, who else, besides Kaniyazov Alisher, was personally invited by you, in addition to law enforcement and special agencies, to resolve the current situation?
Answer: Apart from Kaniyazov Alisher, I have not addressed anyone else on this matter. All issues related to ensuring security and public order were dealt with by the relevant law enforcement structures.
When I was on the roof of my car, as well as D. Tadzhimuratov with his acquaintances, A. Kaniyazov also climbed onto the roof, who also talked with D. Tadzhimuratov, and spoke about the need to convince the crowd to disperse as soon as possible.
I want to clarify that I came to the scene solely out of a sense of duty, as the leader of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, to resolve issues through peaceful negotiations.
Question: Tell me, who made a proposal to amend articles 70-75 of the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan concerning the Republic of Karakalpakstan?
Answer: Proposals for amendments to articles 70-75 of the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan relating to the Republic of Karakalpakstan were proposed by Jokargi Kenes.
Question: It has been established that on June 21, 2022, at the 30th session of the Jokargy Kenes of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, a draft Constitutional Law on amendments and additions to the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan was discussed, which was sent to the Constitutional Commission.
Tell me, were articles 70-75 of the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan discussed at this session?
Answer: At the thirtieth session of the Jokargi Kenes on June 21, 2022, amendments to articles 70-75 of the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan were discussed. There were no complaints from the deputies of the Jokargi Kenes.
Question: Tell me, did the deputies of the Jokargy Kenes of the Republic of Karakalpakstan have any objections to amending Articles 70-75 of the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan?
Answer: As far as I remember, there were no objections.
Question: Tell me, have there been complaints from deputies, including at the session on June 21, 2022, regarding the malfunction of the voting buttons in the hall of Jokargy Kenes?
Answer: The voting buttons were in good condition, including at the session of June 21st. There were no complaints about their malfunction.
Question: Tell me, have any appeals been received to the Jokargy Kenes of the Republic of Karakalpakstan from deputies or D. Tadzhimuratov after the publication on June 25, 2022 for a nationwide discussion of proposals for amendments to the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan?
Answer: No, there were no requests.
Question: In her testimony, the deputy of the Jokargy Kenes of the Republic of Karakalpakstan O.A. Ataniyazova said that at the session on June 21, 2022, the issue of amendments to articles 71 and 72 of the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan was considered, and the issue of amendments to articles 70, 74 and 75 was not discussed , in addition, the voting buttons were not working. Tell me what you can show about this?
Answer: On this issue, I can report that on June 21, 2022, amendments to articles 70-75 of the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan were discussed in full, the voting buttons were in good condition. No complaints have been received in this regard.
Question: Tell me, on July 1, 2022, when D. Tadzhimuratov was delivered to the market in the city of Nukus, what actions did he take while standing on the roof of your official car, did he try to calm the gathered people?
Answer: Indeed, in view of the demands of the crowd, in order to calm down and prevent unrest, it was decided to deliver D. Tajnmuratov to the dekhkan market of the city of Nukus. However, in my opinion, instead of calming down, D. Tadzhimuratov, on the contrary, inflamed the protesters even more with his actions, by shouting “ozodlik” (freedom) and other actions.
Question: Tell me, what did you talk about with D. Tadzhimuratov on the roof of your service car, were any conditions put forward to calm the crowd?
Answer: Standing on the roof of my official car, I told D. Tadzhimuratov to calm the protesters and disperse the crowd to their homes, explaining to him that such actions were not legal. At the same time, D. Tadzhimuratov, being inspired, although he told me that he would try to calm the crowd, but actually shouting the words “ozodlik” inspired the protesters even more.
Question: In his testimony, D. Tadzhimuratov said that on July 1, 2022, during the riots in the city of Nukus near the dekhkan market, you suggested that he go to Jokar-ry Kenes and hold negotiations there.
Tell me, did you propose to D. Tadzhimuratov on July 1, 2022, to hold talks in Jokargy Kenes to calm the crowd and prevent riots?
Answer: Standing in the car, I told D. Tadzhimuratov that such actions, namely, I meant his calls for a referendum on the independence of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, are illegal.
Such issues should not be resolved through mass riots, and if necessary, a meeting can be held in Jokargi Kenes between deputies and an initiative group of active citizens for a civilized discussion of existing issues. At the same time, I did not offer him to go immediately to the building of Jokargi Kenes.
In addition, as I indicated above in my testimony, due to the large crowd of people, and also taking into account the fact that the windshield of the car was broken and made it difficult to see, we were moving slowly along the route that the crowd actually paved for us. That is, I did not have a goal to go to the building of Jokargi Kenes. After driving for a certain time, according to the behavior of the crowd, it seemed to me that D. Tadzhimuratov was still on the roof of the car. Then I asked the driver to stop the car, and when I got out I saw that indeed D. Tadzhimuratov was still on the roof and several people were with him. Then I rudely demanded that he get off the roof of the car. Further, we proceeded in the direction of the military camp, where I arrived at 22.26 hours.
Question: Video recordings from the events of July 01, 2022 during the riots near the dekhkan market in the city of Nukus show that D. Tadzhimuratov shouted “ozodlik” in order to inspire the crowd. Tell me what you can show about this?
Answer: To this question, I can explain the following: D. Tadzhimuratov was brought to the dekhkan market at the request of the excited crowd in order to calm the protesters. However, indeed, D. Tadzhimuratov began to shout out the words “ozodlik”, which means “freedom” in Russian, which inflamed the protesters even more.
Question: Tell me, do you voluntarily give your above-mentioned testimony, were you subjected to physical, mental or moral pressure during the interrogation?
Answer: I give my above-mentioned testimony voluntarily, no physical, mental or moral pressure was exerted on me during the interrogation.
Question: Do you have additions or changes to your testimony?
Answer: I have no additions to the testimony.
I have read the record of the interrogation, it is written down correctly from my words, I have comments on it.
The interrogation ended at 18:05.
Witness M. Kamalov. (signature)
Interrogated by A. Zufarov.
