My original post has lots of information including comments from people in Uzbekistan. Some of these stories are from comments left in that post.
Lyndon has translations of Russian media reports.
The Uzbek national news agency’s report is brief, and says that gunmen were unable to take administration building. It also says that the gunmen are holed up in two parts of the city and that government authorities are negotiating with them. As far as I can tell, this is the situation as it stands now.
The AP’s coverage suggests that the prisoners were freed by protesters if I’m reading it right.
Valijon Atakhonjonov, the brother of one of the accused, said security forces fired shots in the air as thousands of people massed in front of the local administration building.
“The people have risen,” he said by telephone.
Witnesses said some of the protesters attacked a prison and freed its inmates. Atakhonjonov said he could not confirm reports that the crowd had attacked an army garrison as well.
The report also says that it is the police who are holed up in two sections of the city.
There must be some stability to the situation though as President Karimov is said to have rushed to the city to negotiate. Interfax reports that the protesters demand his presence.
RIA puts the crowd in front of the regional administration building at 10,000.
The Kazakh and Kyrgyz borders are closed. Also, foreign media has been cut off.
Police are jumpy. They shot a man in front of the Israeli embassy that they believed to be a suicide bomber.
Keep the comments coming and keep checking back.
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