Karimov, 78, was pronounced dead late Friday after he suffered a stroke last weekend and fell into a coma, authorities said, following days of speculation that officials were delaying making his death public.
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The veteran leader had run the central Asian nation since 1989 and almost half of its 32 million citizens were born after he came to power.
Earlier on Saturday, thousands of mourners lined the streets of the main thoroughfare in the capital Tashkent as the late leader’s cortege headed to the capital’s airport.
In the Uzbek city of Andizhan in May 2005, security forces killed around 500 mostly unarmed people who had been protesting against local officials, witnesses and rights groups said.Karimov put the death toll at 169 and said his forces had put down an armed uprising.
Well-informed opposition news outlets based overseas had claimed Karimov’s body was already brought to Samarkand ahead of the official announcement of his death, as the government delayed admitting his fate in a silence reminiscent of that which surrounded the deaths of Communist Party bosses during the Soviet period.
While other newly-independent Soviet republics were convulsed by wars, economic upheaval and political turmoil, life for people in Uzbekistan stayed largely stable, safe and predictable – a state of affairs that Karimov’s supporters touted as his great achievement. Karimov has died of a stroke at age 78, the Uzbek government annou.
Karimov’s coffin was placed in the Registan, the renowned square flanked on three sides by madrasas – Islamic schools – covered in intricate, colorful tiles and topped with aqua cupolas.
The body was then taken to the Shah-i-Zinda necropolis, another architecturally significant site. He crushed opposition, repressed the media and was repeatedly denounced by activists overseas for human rights violations including killings and torture.
His death has raised fears of a power vacuum in a country which is seen as a key player in the fight against radical Islam in central Asia.
The China-Uzbekistan relations have developed rapidly since the two countries forged diplomatic ties 24 years ago, Zhang said, recalling Xi’s state visit to Uzbekistan in June, during which Xi and Karimov reached consensuses on deepening pragmatic cooperation, promoting common development and upgrading bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership.
“The death of Islam Karimov may open a pretty risky period of unpredictability and uncertainty in Uzbekistan”, Pushkov told the Tass news agency on Friday. Over the years, the group has been affiliated with the Taliban, al Qaida and the Islamic State group, and it has sent fighters overseas.
Under Uzbek law, after the death of a president the head of the senate takes the reins temporarily until an election is held within three months. However, observers say the head of the Uzbek senate is regarded as unlikely to seek permanent power and Karimov’s demise is expected to set off a period of fighting for political influence.
“He left a awful legacy”.
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev flew in for the funeral, along with leaders from former Soviet republics including Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov and the prime ministers of Kyrgyzstan, Belarus and Kazakhstan.
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Azimov stands out for his management skills and his wide network of contacts, Atayeva said, whereas “Mirziyoyev elicits more antipathy for his harsh character and corruption history”.
