Death of the Man Who Ruled Uzbekistan with an Iron Fist for a Quarter of a Century

Islam Karimov, who ruled the most populous former Soviet republic in Central Asia with an iron fist for a quarter of a century, passed away at the age of 78. Uzbekistan's state television announced on Friday, September 2, that Mr. Karimov died at 8:55 AM local time in Tashkent. Five days earlier, Mr. Karimov's daughter had reported that her father had been hospitalized in intensive care following a brain stroke. Islam Karimov, the former leader of the Communist Party of Uzbekistan, maintained his grip on power with the support of the country's feared security agencies, which have been accused of widespread human rights violations, by creating a geopolitical balance in Uzbekistan's relations with the West and Russia and by increasing presidential powers unchecked since Uzbekistan's independence in 1991. Critics and political activists say he ruled over a regime that severely suppressed dissent, established forced labor camps in cotton fields, and that its police and security forces routinely and permanently used torture. The death of Islam Karimov in a country that has not seen another leader since the collapse of the Soviet Union, where a closed political system is encouraged and there is no experience of democracy and the rule of law, may create a basis for instability. Mr. Karimov, born in 1938 in Tashkent, studied economics. He became the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic in 1989. In 1990, he was elected president of Uzbekistan through a sham vote when it was still part of the Soviet Union. At that time, he declared his political vision, which not only shaped Uzbekistan's fate at the moment of independence but also determined the course of the country's political developments in the following decades. He said, 'If you elect me as president, you must give me the right to dissolve parliament, and from now on, I will have the final say.' As the Soviet Union moved towards collapse, Islam Karimov declared Uzbekistan's independence on August 31, 1991, and subsequently won the first presidential election in the country. The government claims that his victories in each subsequent election over the quarter-century since then were achieved with 90 percent of the votes, but the West did not recognize any of them as free and fair elections. In two instances, his critics and opponents challenged the election results based on the constitution, which limits the presidency of any individual to two terms. Mr. Karimov, a shrewd politician who gained significant power in Uzbekistan after independence, maintained the presidency for 25 years by relying on questionable referendums to extend his rule, neutralizing political opponents, eliminating critical media, and weakening rivals. The U.S. State Department in its annual human rights report states, 'In Uzbekistan, the executive branch under President Karimov has dominated the political life of the country and maintains complete control over other branches of government.' During Islam Karimov's presidency, Uzbekistan's judiciary was frequently criticized by human rights organizations for the widespread use of torture. Human Rights Watch published a report in 2007 titled: 'No Escape: Torture and Ill-treatment in Uzbekistan.' One of the organization's directors at that time told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Uzbek service, 'The key issue of the report is to show that the use of torture in Uzbekistan is systematic and deliberate, and at all stages of detention and trial, prisoners are subjected to pressure or are placed in conditions where they are likely to be tortured.' Some accuse Mr. Karimov of using the threat of radical Islamists as a pretext for security policies and ruthless repression. Following bombings in 1999 and 2004, and two armed attacks by the banned Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, Islamist groups and their supporters were suppressed with intensity and ruthlessness. In the 1990s, criticizing what he saw as the parliament's leniency in passing strict laws against Islamist groups, he told parliament members, 'If you lack the will to do this, give me a gun, and I will kill each of them with a bullet to their heads.' Mr. Karimov also used Uzbekistan's geographical position as a factor to develop relations with the U.S., providing logistical support, including military bases, during the U.S. operation to topple the Taliban regime in 2001. Human rights defenders accused the U.S. government of overlooking widespread human rights violations in Uzbekistan in exchange for such facilities. However, the U.S. government has denied these allegations. In May 2005, widespread protests and unrest in the city of Andijan were brutally suppressed by Uzbek security forces, and reports at the time indicated that hundreds were killed in those events. Islam Karimov opposed international investigations into this incident and always insisted that the unrest was the work of Islamist groups trained abroad. Regional Hegemony Uzbekistan, which shares borders with all four former Soviet republics in Central Asia and Afghanistan, is the most populous country in the region and also has the largest army and vast reserves of oil and natural gas. During Islam Karimov's rule, Uzbekistan sought to become a regional hegemonic power, which at times led to crises in relations with neighbors and border disputes, particularly over shared water resources. The country has always closed its borders under the pretext of the threat of Islamists, making life difficult for residents of the country and the multicultural residents of the Ferghana Valley. Exported gas from Uzbekistan has been an important leverage in relations with the country's poorer neighbors, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, and has been cut off multiple times due to non-payment for gas exports to these countries. Neighboring governments have accused Uzbek security forces of planning and organizing armed attacks on their territory or illegally entering to arrest individuals wanted by the Uzbek government. Despite widespread criticism of human rights conditions due to its geographical position and energy resources, both the West and Russia have generally sought to maintain good relations with this country. However, Islam Karimov's policies have repeatedly caused problems in Uzbekistan's relations with Russia, the West, the European Union, and international financial institutions. In the 1990s, Tajikistan was embroiled in civil war, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan were paralyzed by political protests and disputes between presidents and parliaments, and most of the newly independent Central Asian countries were dependent on international aid for their survival. In such a situation, Uzbekistan did not experience instability and was able to provide basic needs and services for its people, including electricity and gas. However, experts believe that a combination of ruthless repression and the impoverished living standards of the majority of the population in this country has created a suitable environment for protests and armed resistance in Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan has been criticized for failing to implement economic reforms and for the continuation of financial corruption and gang rule. In addition, human rights organizations have criticized the Uzbek government for establishing forced labor camps in the cotton fields and industries. Family Matters Mr. Karimov's daughters, Gulnara and Lola, have extensively benefited from the ruling economic system in the country. In 2011, the Swiss magazine Bilan listed both of Mr. Karimov's daughters among the 300 richest residents of the country. Gulnara, Mr. Karimov's eldest daughter, who was once considered his natural successor, has not appeared in public since 2014, and reports have emerged suggesting that she is under house arrest due to scandals related to corruption in her foreign contracts. One day after the Uzbek government made an unprecedented statement on August 28 announcing that Islam Karimov had been hospitalized, his second daughter, Lola, announced her father's condition to the world via a message on Instagram. On August 29, she wrote, 'It is still too early to predict the future of his health.' In this message, written in Russian, English, and Uzbek, it was stated that Mr. Karimov had been hospitalized on August 28 and his condition was considered 'stable.' Mr. Karimov's daughter, who is Uzbekistan's ambassador to UNESCO, urged everyone 'to refrain from speculation and respect her father's privacy.' In this context, Zarif headed to Uzbekistan to attend the funeral of Islam Karimov. The 'day after Karimov' has arrived for Uzbekistan. Who are the potential successors to the President of Uzbekistan? Uzbekistan officially confirmed the death of Islam Karimov. Diplomatic sources: 'The President of Uzbekistan has passed away.'