Islam Karimov

Islam Karimov Ислом Каримов
President of Uzbekistan
Incumbent
Assumed office  24 March 1990
Prime Minister	Abdulxashim Mutalov O‘tkir Sultonov Shavkat Mirziyoyev
Preceded by	Position established
General Secretary of the Communist Party of Uzbekistan
In office 23 June 1989 – 29 December 1991
Preceded by	Rafiq Nishonov
Succeeded by	Position abolished
Born	30 January 1938 (1938-01-30) (age 73) Samarkand, Uzbek SSR, Soviet Union
Political party	Liberal Democratic Party (2007–present)
Other political affiliations	Communist Party (before 1991) Fidokorlar (1991-2007)
Spouse(s)	Tatyana Karimova
Religion	Islam

Islom Abdug‘aniyevich Karimov (Cyrillic Uzbek: Ислом Абдуғаниевич Каримов; Russian: Ислам Абдуганиевич Каримов Islam Abduganiyevich Karimov) (born January 30, 1938) is an Uzbek politician who has been the first President of Uzbekistan since 1990.

Rise to power

Karimov was born in an orphanage in Samarkand, growing up to study economics and engineering at university. He became an official in the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, becoming the party's First Secretary in Uzbekistan in 1989. On March 24, 1990 he became President of the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic. He declared Uzbekistan an independent nation on August 31, 1991 and subsequently won Uzbekistan's first presidential election on December 29, 1991, with 86% of the vote. The election was called unfair, with state-run propaganda and a falsified vote count, although the opposing candidate and leader of the Erk (Freedom) Party, Muhammad Salih, had a chance to participate.

Presidency

In 1995, Karimov extended his term until 2000 through a widely criticized referendum. He was re-elected with 91.9% of the vote on 9 January 2000. The United States said that this election "was neither free nor fair and offered Uzbekistan's voters no true choice"^[1]. The sole opposition candidate, Abdulhafiz Jalalov, implicitly admitted that he entered the race only to make it seem democratic and publicly stated that he voted for Karimov.

After the September 11, 2001 attacks Uzbekistan was considered a strategic ally in the United States' "War on Terrorism" campaign because of a mutual opposition to the Taliban. Uzbekistan hosted an 800-strong U.S. troop presence at the Karshi-Khanabad base, also known as "K2", which supported U.S.-led efforts in the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan.^[2] This move was criticized by Human Rights Watch which said the U.S. government subordinated the promotion of human rights to assistance in the War in Afghanistan. U.S.-Uzbek relations deteriorated in May 2005 when Karimov's government strongly encouraged the abandonment of the U.S. base in the face of U.S. government criticism of the protests in Andijan. In July 2005 U.S. military forces left Karshi-Khanabad.^[3]

Karimov was mobilized against the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and Hizb-ut-Tahrir, Islamist organizations that the government has designated as terrorist.^[4] The Uzbek government sentenced Tohir Yo‘ldosh and Juma Namangani, leaders of the IMU, to death in absentia.^[5] Namangani died in Afghanistan in 2001, and Tohir Yo‘ldosh was killed in an air strike on August 27, 2009.^[6] Though the Uzbekistani constitution protects the separation of religion and state, the Karimov regime has marginalized politically dissident Muslims and religious leaders who critique its human rights abuses through rhetoric of “anti-terrorism.” From 1991 to 2004, the government has imprisoned over 7,000 Uzbeks for “Islamist extremism,” and silenced Imams like Muhammad Rajab, who advocated for more open democracy in the early 1990s.

Karimov sought another term in the December 2007 presidential election, despite arguments that he was ineligible due to the two-term limit on the presidency. On November 6, 2007, Karimov accepted the nomination of the Uzbekistan Liberal Democratic Party to run for a third term.^[7] On November 19, the Central Election Commission announced the approval of Karimov's candidacy,^[8] a decision that Karimov's opponents condemned as illegal.^[9]

Following the election on 23 December, preliminary official results showed Karimov winning with 88.1% of the vote, on a turnout rate that was placed at 90.6%. Observers from groups allied to the Karimov administration such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Commonwealth of Independent States gave the election a positive assessment.^[10] However, observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe criticized the election as lacking a "genuine choice," while others deemed the election, a "political charade,"^[11] given that all three of Karimov's rivals began their campaign speeches by singing Karimov's praises.^[12]

Human rights and press freedom

The international community has repeatedly criticized the Karimov administration's record on human rights and press freedom. In particular, Craig Murray, the British Ambassador from 2002 to 2004, wrote about financial corruption and human rights abuses during his term in office and later in his memoirs, Murder in Samarkand,^[13] pointing to reports of boiling people to death. The United Nations found torture "institutionalized, systematic, and rampant" in Uzbekistan's judicial system.^[14] For several years, Parade magazine has selected Karimov as one of the world's worst dictators, citing to his tactics of torture, media censorship, and fake elections.^[15]

In response, the Uzbek government criticized Craig Murray for not behaving like a genuine British ambassador. It informally stated that diplomacy is more about mutual compromise rather than one-handed harsh criticism. The British government replaced Craig Murray in 2005.

Craig Murray later called rocker Sting a 'hypocrite' for performing a show for Karimov's daughter. Murray was quoted as saying, "His activism seems to have flown out the window."^[16]

Personal life

Karimov's wife, Tatyana Akbarovna Karimova, is an economist.^[17][18] They have two daughters and three grandchildren. His eldest daughter Gulnara Karimova, serves as an advisor for Uzbekistan's ambassador to Russia and is believed to have built an extensive business empire that includes the largest mobile phone operator in the country, night clubs and a large cement factory.^[19] Karimov's second daughter, Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva, is known in Uzbekistan for her role in promoting education and sports, as well as championing the rights of children. She is founder of major charity organizations in Uzbekistan - "You are not alone", Republican Social Children's Fund for helping orphans, and Republican Center for Social Adaptation of Children, mainly focusing at disabled children and those from vulnerable groups.^[20]

See also

• Politics of Uzbekistan

References

External links

• Official biography
• Profile on BBC News

Leaders of Uzbekistan Uzbek SSR Vladimir Ivanov · Kuprian Kirkizh · Nikolay Gikalo · Isaak Zelensky · Akmal Ikramov · Pyotr Yakovlev · Usman Yusupov* · Sirodzh Nurutdinov · Amin Niyazov · Nuriddin Muhiddinov · Sobir Kamolov · Sharof Rashidov · Inomjon Usmonxo‘jayev · Rafiq Nishonov · Islam Karimov Uzbekistan Islam Karimov * denotes acting