The state TV has announced the death of President Karimov following days of unconfirmed reports suggesting that he had already died.
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Uzbek opposition blogger Nadezhda Atayeva told the Associated Press on Friday that Uzbek authorities appear to be cracking down on communication channels since the official announcement Friday about the president’s health. In a statement released on Friday morning, the government said that Karimov’s health had undergone a “sharp deterioration” overnight.
Among the current contenders to replace him are Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Deputy Prime Minister Rustam Azimov.
RFE/RL’s Uzbek Service reported that district mayors and other officials had been instructed to wear white shirts and black suits to work on September 2.
The Samarkand airport issued a notice saying it would be closed to all flights except specially approved aircraft tomorrow, according to the website of the US Federal Aviation Administration.
In 1991, Karimov declared Uzbekistan independent and went on to win the country’s first presidential election by a huge margin, in what Human Rights Watch termed a “seriously marred” vote.
Another task for the new leader will be resolving tensions with ex-Soviet neighbors Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan over disputed borders and the use of common resources such as water. His leadership style was epitomized by propaganda posters often displayed in Uzbekistan that depicted him alongside Tamerlane, a 14th-century emperor who had conquered a vast region of West, South and Central Asia.
A three-day period of mourning will start on the same day.
“Karimov’s unfortunate passing is not only a huge loss to the Uzbek people, but also means the Chinese people have lost a true friend”, he added.
Earlier, even before his death was officially confirmed, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim offered his condolences.The two countries have close ethnic, cultural and linguistic ties. Further details of his death were not immediately available from the mostly opaque country, where media freedom and human rights have been harshly repressed.
But in 2005, Karimov kicked the United States personnel out after the George W. Bush administration condemned a violent crackdown by Uzbek security forces against protesters in the city of Andijan.
But Karimov’s relationship with the USA took a hit in 2002, after a State Department report found Karimov’s security forces tortured people, especially Muslims, under the guise of combating terrorism.
In the wake of global criticism over the alleged massacre, which Karimov’s regime rebuffed, Tashkent shut down a U.S. military base used to supply operations in neighbouring Afghanistan since 2001.
Going by the Turkmen example, it would seem that Uzbekistan’s move to follow the letter of the law indicates that political factions are still battling it out in Tashkent to determine who assumes power.
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Experts are warning of a power vacuum in Uzbekistan, as Karimov never named a successor.
