A court in Uzbekistan has sentenced two police officers to seven years in prison for torturing detainees during the crackdown of the mass protests that shook the autonomous republic of Karakalpakstan last summer.  

The court’s ruling issued on August 4 has also forbidden the officers, whose names remain undisclosed, from working in government service for three years. 

This is the first public case when police officers were held accountable for their actions in the unrest, which left at least 21 people dead and hundreds injured.   

The statement from the Supreme Court did not give the details under which the tortures took place. Human Rights Watch has previously accused Uzbek security services of using excessive violence while responding to the Karakalpakstan protests. 

Another police officer was sentenced to three years in prison and received a one-year prohibition from working in law enforcement roles due to their failure to provide assistance that resulted in someone's death.

It is not known if more police officers are currently being prosecuted by the authorities for misconduct during the July unrest. The Uzbek government has not been transparent about the investigation into the turmoil. A parliamentary commission set up more than a year ago to probe the events has yet to publish any conclusions.  

The two-day protests in Karakalpakstan erupted after the government abruptly announced plans to change the constitution in a way that would have deprived the republic of a right to ever hold a referendum on independence from Uzbekistan. 

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev quickly backtracked on the controversial amendments to de-escalate tensions, but blamed “hostile outside forces” for triggering the turmoil. He also ordered investigations into the actions of the security services and that punishments be meted out to those who had used inappropriate force. 

Following the unrest, dozens of protesters were arrested and later charged with a variety of offences. Most of them received lengthy prison sentences but had them suspended or reduced during the appeal trials after they pleaded guilty and asked for forgiveness. 

Dauletmurat Tazhimuratov, a Karakalpak lawyer and activist, who the investigators claimed to be a ringleader, was sentenced to 16 years in prison. Tazhimuratov has steadfastly maintained his innocence. In June, the court rejected his appeal and upheld the sentence.