Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov died of a stroke on August 29 at 15:35, the Moscow-based Central Asian news agency Fergana News reported, citing anonymous sources. The 79-year-old strongman had been running the Uzbek republic since its independence in 1989 with an iron fist.
The office of the president issued a very short statement late on August 29 denying the reports of Karimov's death and said he was in a stable condition. Earlier the government, in a rare comment on the president's health, admitted he had been hospitalised.
On August 29, Karimov’s daughter Lola Karimova-Tillyayeva wrote on her Instagram account that her father was in hospital due to a “cerebral haemorrhage”, adding that his condition was “stable”.
The Uzbek government has denied reports that the country’s long serving president, Islam Karimov, has died following a brain hemorrhage, the Interfax news agency reported.
Doctors are currently describing Karimov's condition as “stable,” a source close to the Uzbek government told Interfax.
Uzbekistan's Fergana news agency had reported Karimov's death on Monday night, citing a number of unidentified sources. Arkady Dubnov, Russia's expert on Central Asia, also confirmed Karimov's death, quoting his sources.
The country's official state newspaper had confirmed the leader's hospitalization on Monday morning. Karimov’s youngest daughter, Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva, later posted a statement on Instagram saying that her father, 78, was in intensive care.
Russia’s embassy in Tashkent has neither confirmed nor denied reports of Karimov’s death.
The Regnum news agency reported Tuesday that one of the front-runners to succeed Karimov, Deputy Prime Minister Rustam Azimov, has been placed under house arrest.
Government officials have denied the reports, maintaining that Azimov is continuing in his post.
Both Azimov and the current prime minister, Shavkat Mirziyayev, are believed to be the most likely candidates to succeed Karimov. Analysts believe that the Uzbek political elite, fearing instability within the regime, will work to ensure a smooth transition.
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