They call their group the “Free Karakalpakstan National Revival Party.” And they accuse Uzbekistan of genocide against “Karakalpaks as an ethnicity.” Supporters of the group have been vocal on Internet chat boards. One person identifying himself as Yernazar Konyratov wrote on March 5 that “devastation, chaos, poverty, [and] environmental disaster” have gripped Karakalpakstan. He went on to call for a referendum on the autonomous republic’s independence from Tashkent. Full Story