Uzbekistan president Islam Karimov dies after three decades in office

Authoritarian dictator who suppressed opposition leaves power vacuum

Uzbekistan's President Islam Karimov suffered a stroke and has been in hospital since Saturday 27 August (Reuters)

Uzbek president Islam Karimov has died, leaving no obvious successor to lead Central Asia's most populus country.

A statement from the government and parliament hailed him as “truly great”. Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyoyev was appointed head of the commission organising his burial, a sign that he might succeed Karimov.

“He has left us”, Karimov's younger daughter Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva wrote on Instagram in Russian, adding “God bless him” in Uzbek.

Turkey’s Prime Minister, Binali Yıldırım, revealed the news in a televised meeting with his cabinet earlier on Friday, saying: “We send our condolences and share the pain of the Uzbek people.”

The Uzbek government initally released a statement saying only that Karimov's health had "sharply deteriorated in the past 24 hours to reach a critical state".

The initial message followed days of unofficial reports Mr Karimov was near to death after he suffered a stroke last week. His daughter Lola said the Karimov had suffered a brain haemorrhage.

Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed condolences to acting President Nigmatilla Yuldoshev. The Kremlin quoted Putin as saying his death was a “heavy loss for Uzbekistan”.

Georgian President Giorgy Margvelashvili was another leader who expressed condolences over the death of Mr Karimov in a statement on the presidential website.

“I'd like to express my condolences from me personally and on behalf of the Georgian people to the President's family and Uzbek people,” Mr Margvelashvili added

Karimov will be buried in his hometown of Samarkand on Saturday according to Muslim traditions.Respected Central Asian news website Fergana.ru posted pictures on Friday from Samarkand, showing what appeared to be undertakers working on a cemetery plot in the city's historic graveyard where other members of his family are buried.

The Samarkand airport announced it would be closed to all flights except specially approved aircraft on Saturday, according to the website of the US Federal Aviation Administration.

Mr Karimov has run an authoritarian regime since 1989, suppressing opposition and cultivating no apparent successor, leaving a power vacuum.

Analysts say the transition of power is likely to be decided behind closed doors by a small group of senior officials and family members. If they fail to agree on a compromise, however, open confrontation could destabilise the nation of 32 million that has become a target for Islamist militants.

Under the constitution, if the president dies his duties pass temporarily to the head of the senate until an election can be held within three months. However, the head of the Uzbek senate is regarded as unlikely to seek permanent power and Mr Karimov's demise is expected to set off a period of jockeying for political influence.

Mr Karimov's authoritarian rule, and supression of any opposition drew much criticism, particularly from human rights groups. Human Rights Watch’s statement on the country says: “Uzbekistan’s human rights record is atrocious. Thousands are imprisoned on politically motivated charges. Torture is endemic in the criminal justice system. Authorities continue to crack down on civil society activists, opposition members, and journalists."

In 2005 Uzbek troops shot dead hundreds of protesters in the eastern city of Andijan, in one particularly notable incident. In a typically feisty rebuff to Western calls to respect human rights, Mr Karimov said in 2006: “Do not interfere in our affairs under the pretext of furthering freedom and democracy, Do not ... tell us what to do, whom to befriend and how to orient ourselves.”

Mr Karimov regularly warned of the threat posed by militant Islamists, but his critics accused him of exaggerating the dangers to justify his crackdowns on political dissent.

“Such people must be shot in the head,” he said of the Islamists in a speech to parliament in 1996. “If necessary, if you lack the resolve, I'll shoot them myself.”

On Thursday, Uzbekistan celebrated its Independence Day, marking 25 years since the country seceded from the Soviet Union, and it was widely assumed that if the government would not break news about Mr Karimov until after the festivities.

Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report