The World - News from March 21, 1989

Several thousand people demonstrated in the capital of Soviet Uzbekistan to press demands that Uzbek be made the republic’s official language, an official of the Uzbek news agency Uztag said. The official told Reuters news agency that the crowds gathered in front of government house in central Tashkent where they were addressed by the republic’s newly appointed president, Mirzaolim Ibragimov. Ibragimov, 61, told the crowd that a special working commission has been set up to look into the issue and said authorities want people to send in suggestions on how to solve the problem. Russian is still the state language in most of the 15 Soviet Republics but there has been pressure for change.