His younger daughter Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva announced on social media Monday that he was in a “stable” condition in hospital after suffering a cerebral haemorrhage over the weekend. “I will be grateful to everyone who will support my father with prayers”. “According to experts, a full medical examination is necessary”.
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Human rights groups have criticized former Soviet apparatchik Karimov for his brutal crackdown on all opposition in Uzbekistan, mainly for the alleged massacre of hundreds of protesters in the city of Andijan in 2005.
Widely considered a dictator, his possible death has many observers concerned who will succeed the Central Asian leader, who has ruled the country since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.
“On the one hand the political elite is fighting each other and regrouping but on the other, they understand they need to keep control of the country”.
His mandate was extended for a further five years in 1995 by referendum, and he won re-election in 2000, 2007 and 2015. Please see our terms of service for more information.
Uzbekistan’s cabinet of ministers said Sunday that the leader had been “hospitalised” in a statement published by the state news agency that gave no details.
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Karimov has always been condemned by rights activists for his crackdown on dissent – most notoriously in 2005 in the city of Andijan, where government forces are accused of killing hundreds of demonstrators. “No fewer than nine journalists are rotting in prison in the most abominable conditions”.
