MOSCOW (AP) – Uzbekistan’s widely criticized authoritarian leader Islam Karimov was hailed as a statesman and democrat by his government as he was laid to rest Saturday in the ancient silk road city of Samarkand.
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In the wake of worldwide criticism over the alleged massacre, which Karimov s regime rebuffed, Tashkent shut down a United States military base used to supply operations in neighbouring Afghanistan since 2001.
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim became the first foreign leader to offer condolences over Karimov’s death.
Endemic corruption stymied development, despite considerable resources of natural gas and gold, along with its cotton exports. There was speculation about his death after the stroke initially occurred, but his passing was confirmed by not only the country’s government and parliament, but by his daughter, Lola Tillyaeva, as well.
He came under widespread worldwide criticism from human rights groups, but because of Uzbekistan’s location as a vital supply route for the war in neighboring Afghanistan, the West sometimes turned a blind eye to his worst abuses.
The government has blamed the violence on Islamist militants, though rights groups and exiles say anger at Chinese controls on the religion and culture of Uighurs is more to blame for the unrest.
Uzbekistan prepares to bury veteran leader Karimov was posted in World of TheNews International – https://www.thenews.com.pk on September 03, 2016 and was last updated on September 03, 2016. “I am struggling for words, I can t believe it myself”.
The veteran leader had run the ex-Soviet Central Asian nation since 1989 and almost half of its 32 million citizens were born after he came to power.
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’s own family were not immune from the harsh treatment.
By all accounts Karimov hated the political jockeying by different groups in the initial burst of freedom after independence in 1991 and worked to destroy all autonomous political, media and human rights organizations.
Elections were held but were not democratic, according to global observers.
Karimov has died of a stroke at age 78, the Uzbek government announced Friday. K.
Uzbek opposition blogger Nadezhda Atayeva said on Friday that Uzbek authorities appeared to be cracking down on communication channels.
Karimov is survived by two daughters and five grandchildren.
An AFP journalist in Samarkand – which also houses the mausoleum of feared 14th century warlord Tamerlane – said that national flags with black ribbons were hung up and the road to the cemetery where Karimov was to be buried next to his family was strewn with roses.
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Samarkand’s airport has been closed to scheduled flights on Saturday.
