Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic along a waterway. After Stalin's death in March 1953, Stalinabad, was renamed to "Dushanbe" on 10 November 1961 as part of the De-Stalinization program. In February 1990, tensions between the Tajiks and Armenians squared off in the republic's capital Dushanbe. 26 people died and 565 more were injured and the Soviet troops put down the riots. Both Yaqub Salimov, the Interior Minister and the youth activists were convicted for the participation in the riots. Later on 24 August 1990, Tajik SSR declared its sovereignty over Soviet laws. By 1991, Tajikistan participated in a referendum in March as part of the
Karakalpak Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic Karakalpak Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic The Karakalpak Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (Karakalpak ASSR; Karakalpak: Қарақалпақстан АССР, "Qaraqalpaqstan ASSR"; , Qoraqalpog‘iston ASSR; , "Karakalpakskaya ASSR") also known as Soviet Karakalpakstan or simply Karakalpakstan was an autonomous republic of the Soviet Union. Until 20 July 1932, it was called the Karakalpak Autonomous Oblast. On 5 December 1936, it was merged with the Uzbek SSR. It was the only ASSR in Soviet Central Asia. Its capital was Nukus (until 1939, Turtkul). On 14 December 1990, Karakalpak ASSR declared state sovereignty over the Soviet laws. Uzbekistan declared independence on 31 August 1991 after the