Islam Karimov

First president and dictator of Uzbekistan .

1990 March 24 After serving as president of the Uzbek SSR, he became the first president when Uzbekistan became independent the following year, and continued in power for a total of 26 years until 2016. During his time in power, he engaged in authoritarian politics using torture of opponents and police power, and democratization occurred in Andijan in 2005. It also gained international notoriety for massacres of protesters .

January 30, 1938 Soviet Union Uzbek SSR Born in Samarkand . He joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1964, and even as the Aral Sea was gradually drying up in the mid-1980s, he still pushed for increased cotton production.[6] He began to attract attention for his active opposition to the Soviet Union 's economic policies.[7] However, even after independence, this economic policy was not modified, and when the cotton harvest season came, students had to skip school to pick cotton, and unless they paid a bribe, they had to pick cotton.[8] Rural farmers also had to work like a mustard worker, filling their quotas in the cotton fields for only a few pennies.

With this popularity gained, in 1989 the Soviet Union Became First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Uzbekistan in 1990 . He was elected President of the Uzbek SSR on March 24, 1991, after the collapse of the Soviet Union . He was re-elected in the presidential election on December 29, 1995 . On March 26, he extended his presidential term through a national referendum and was re-elected president in 2000 with 95.7% of the vote. He extended his presidential term again in 2002 and continued in power. He was reelected in 2007 with 90.7% of the vote and in 2015 with 91% of the vote. Of course, like many dictatorships in Third World countries, it was a fraudulent election , and the ballots were made so that those places that were in favor of his re-election were more visible , and even if there were unvoted ballots, those ballots were abused as votes in favor of his re-election.[9]

Meanwhile, he maintained a fairly good relationship with the United States until the mid-2000s, when the US military stationed its air force at an Uzbek air force base, much to the displeasure of Russia. Then, when large-scale protests broke out in 2005 after the massacre of civilians during the suppression of anti-government demonstrations in Andijan, the US lost support for him, and the US and the European Union considered suspending economic cooperation and imposing economic sanctions to pressure the Karimov regime. In relation to this, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has already decided to suspend additional investment in Uzbekistan for the next two years.

Then he changed his policy to anti -American and closed the US Air Force Base in Uzbekistan. The United States sent Donald Rumsfeld, the defense minister , to raise the base of the base and present carrots in various ways, but was rejected. Since then , he has strengthened his pro -China policy, and since then, he has been not very good with the United States. Of course, in China and Russia , unlike the United States or Europe, which are at least noticed about human rights, they do not care about the morality and human rights issues of dictators unless they slaughter civilians or not politically. In case of this occurrence, he also held a joint military training that smashed it and played his strong supporter.

Of course, pressure from the United States and Europe only came when the massacre was brought to light and international public opinion deteriorated rapidly, and his position in Uzbekistan was still absolute and strategically important, so economic and military cooperation began again quietly. In fact, Central Asia , except for Kyrgyzstan,[10] All four countries have long-term powers of dictators, and although not as much as in the Middle East and North Africa, they do not hesitate to shoot and kill dozens or hundreds of their own citizens if they feel that their regime is threatened, and more than 1,000 people have died in ethnic clashes.[11] Since it is a tough neighborhood, if we tackle every minor(?) human rights issue and impose sanctions on it, it is no different from saying that we will hand over all of our influence in the region to China and Russia, who don't care about such things. In particular, securing energy resources in Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan is a very important issue for Europe to respond to Russia's weaponization of natural resources... However, the prevailing opinion is that the US is effectively letting go as its need for Central Asia has rapidly decreased since it withdrew from the US-Afghanistan War .

In Uzbekistan, he is considered a politician with polarizing evaluations as he received high support for his achievements in steady economic growth and political stability. However, as you can see from the opposition camp's article on Uzbekistan, economic growth is not something he did well, but rather it is achieved through Uzbek workers working abroad and sending money to Uzbekistan, or through exploitative labor where they are forced to harvest cotton. Evaluations were polarizing, with some claiming that political stability was achieved by literally arresting and eliminating all opponents.

On August 27, 2016, her second daughter, Lola Karimova-Tilyeva, said on her SNS that she was hospitalized after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage . # As rumors of his death circulated in some media, the Uzbekistan government issued a rebuttal. # In the end, he admitted that there were rumors of critical illness. # In the meantime, he struggled to survive by inviting renowned doctors from France , Germany , Finland , and Russia .

2016 On September 2 , while the Uzbek government was quiet, diplomatic sources from Reuters and the Turkic government sequentially reported the news of his death, and a few hours later, the Uzbek government also hurriedly officially announced his death. In fact, he was still alive, albeit in a coma, when the Turkic government announced his 'death', but he was declared dead at 8:55 pm local time due to a heart attack while suffering from complications of stroke and multiple organ failure. Age 78.

After his death, Uzbekistan declared three days of mourning and leaders around the world mourned his passing.[12] The South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs referred to him as a great leader in a statement posted on its website the next day. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that it was a “courtesy toward the other country” considering the local Korean community and relations with Uzbekistan, but given his past misdeeds, it was controversial. After his funeral on September 3, he was buried in a magnificent 7.55m-tall mausoleum built near the Hazrat-Hizr Mosque in Samarkand . Karimov’s mausoleum , interior photo

The most likely successors were Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who had been Prime Minister under the Karimov regime since 2003, and Rustam Azimov, who had been First Deputy Prime Minister since 2005, but Mirziyoyev was officially appointed as Acting President. # Mirziyoyev was elected in the election held on December 4 of that year and began his duties as President on December 14.

In an interview with AFP in 1999, he said, “I would be willing to cut off 200 heads for the sake of peace and stability in the country. Even my children.[13] He was so fearful that he said, “If you are a threat to the country, I will personally cut off your head with my own hands.” He ruled with such a merciless iron fist that some called him “the most capable and tyrannical head of the security forces in Central Asia .” In line with this, during the Karimov era, there were approximately 10,000 political prisoners in Uzbekistan , and they were subjected to electric shock torture and beatings by the Uzbek government, as well as being threatened with rape . In fact, Azam Farmonov, a political prisoner who was imprisoned as a political prisoner in 2006, testified that the Uzbek authorities forced false confessions by masking him and beating him, and that they drove nails into Farmonov’s fingernails and toenails (!) and threatened to harm his family. Data

Not only are sham trials being held for political prisoners, but they are also tortured in the worst prison conditions, and the authorities are even arbitrarily extending their sentences.[14] In Uzbekistan, foreign radio reception is blocked and telephone calls are thoroughly wiretapped. Human Rights Watch criticized the Uzbek government, saying, "The Uzbek authorities are not providing proper treatment to political prisoners suffering from serious illnesses," and "This cruel and inhumane attitude is a serious violation of international human rights agreements."

Meanwhile, under a law enacted in 2003, the Karimov family is not punished for their crimes in Uzbekistan.[15] This is the testimony from 2002 to 2004 of the British ambassador who played the biggest role in publicizing the reality of the Karimov regime. According to the ambassador's testimony, torture, kidnapping , murder, corruption, surveillance, and rape by police occur in Uzbekistan . For this reason, Uzbekistan is called a police state. In fact, the traffic police on the streets of Uzbekistan were obsessed with checking whether drivers had their licenses, and plainclothes police immediately arrested tourists when they saw them taking pictures in prohibited areas. The reason was that the police could collect a day's wages in exchange for not imposing huge fines. In addition, in preparation for group protests, as many as 1,200 police were mobilized when a game was played at Bunyodkor's home stadium, Jar Stadium, which had a capacity of only 10,000 spectators, so they were so intent on actively blocking the protests.

For this reason, among Uzbeks, the slang for the police is cucumber (local language Bodring), and the sight of a police officer standing on the street wearing a turquoise uniform is compared to a long cucumber. When a police officer approaches, people whisper, “Bodring kelyapti.” In comparison to the turquoise image and the large number of police officers, there is even a humorous saying that 'there are more police than leaves on the street.'

In particular, the reason why the Karimov regime was most criticized by the international community was that, along with the Andijan massacre described later , the Uzbek authorities forcibly mobilized youth and ordinary citizens to grow cotton, a national industry, and various human rights violations occurred in the process. For more information, see the Uzbekistan article.

In 2014, domestic human rights civic groups protested as it was revealed that Yelena Urlayeva (Елена Урлаева, Елена Урлаева), head of the Human Rights Alliance of Uzbekistan, a group that won the Ji Hak-soon Justice and Peace Prize, was subjected to harsh treatment . She criticized the forced labor in the cotton industry in Uzbekistan , because the Uzbek government has been forcibly mobilizing many people, from kindergarteners to teenagers and teachers, to harvest cotton for long periods of time every year during the cotton harvest season. Then, on May 31, 2014, he was arrested by the police and interrogated, beaten, and sexually insulted for 18 hours, and the investigation conducted at this time was extremely humiliating. The torturers injected her with a tranquilizer of unknown substance three times in an attempt to get her to confess. During the investigation, the police also hit her on the head, swore at her, beat her several times, and took away her recorded memory of the interview with the victim. Even then, the doctors suspected that she was hiding a data chip, and during the time the police held her, they forced her to examine her vagina and anus and take X-rays until she started bleeding . She was forced to relieve herself outdoors and was photographed naked. data article

Other human rights activists active in Uzbekistan were also beaten or detained by contractors mobilized by the Uzbek authorities. In particular, Urlayeva, a representative human rights activist, is said to have been confined to a psychiatric ward, forcibly receiving psychiatric treatment, and receiving medication.[16]

He even committed the atrocity of boiling his opponents alive . In 2002, Muzaffar Abazov was arrested for being an Islamic fundamentalist and died after being tortured by being doused in boiling water. His body was reportedly burned all over, had a huge bloody wound on the back of his head, all his fingernails were missing, and his forehead and neck were bruised. Of course, the Uzbek government denied the allegations of torture. Two years later, his mother, who exposed the torture, was also sentenced to hard labor on charges of joining an Islamic extremist group. #

In addition, compulsory hysterectomies performed on Uzbek women for the purpose of birth control were also performed under his orders. Related articles

Human Rights Watch announced that in 2013, 11,858 requests for human rights protection were submitted by Uzbekistan residents to international human rights organizations. As a result of such abuses, Uzbekistan's world freedom index recorded only 3 points in 2006-2009/2016-2017 and 4 points in 2010-2015, putting it at the bottom of the world's freedom index, to the point where it can even be said to be Eritrea 's position today. It has become a country that does not miss anything. To be exact, political rights (PR) was 0 points and civil liberties (CL) were 3 to 4 points.[17] For nearly 10 years from 2008 to 2017, it was lower than Turkmenistan, also in Central Asia , and from 2016 to 2017, it was tied with North Korea , so that's all. Fortunately, after his death, Uzbekistan's world freedom index rose significantly(?), and as of 2023, it has 12 points. However, even though it has risen significantly compared to the past, it is lower than Russia and Venezuela and tied with Iran , Cuba , and Bahrain .

However, some say that he has made Central Asia a safe country free of extremist terrorism, but this is only a result-based view and does not mean that Afghanistan is free from extreme terrorism due to his influence. Moreover, it is questionable whether he is sincere when he says that there were many people in Uzbekistan who respected him at the time. Rather, it would be better to say that he, as president, did what an extremist terrorist organization would do.

Of course, during his time in power, corruption in Uzbekistan was very serious, with the Uzbek mafia and the Uzbek government being closely linked, and jobs in both public and private sectors being routinely robbed and this is still ongoing.

The irony is that, contrary to the evil deeds described below, in 1998 The death penalty was abolished.[18]

 more detailsAndijan massacre documentcastPlease note.

It was a massacre called Uzbekistan's version of the May 18 Democratization Movement , and it was a massacre in which 187 people died according to official figures in just one day. There are even suspicions that this figure is an understatement due to the nature of the dictatorship, and there are suspicions that locally, between 400 and 600 people died, ranging from 400 to 600 to about 1,500 or even 2,500.

Gulnara Karimova, 1972 July 8 ( 54 years old)

At one time, he was mentioned as the successor to his father's power, but he was implicated in corruption charges and returned to Uzbekistan while working abroad. He was also investigated by prosecutors for corruption in Uzbekistan, and is currently said to have fallen and is being confined at home and under surveillance. Looks like we've been through some rough times, England According to the BBC , in a handwritten letter delivered through an anonymous person, Karimova claimed, "I am living in confinement due to a conflict with my father, President Islam Karimov, and am suffering from illegal activities such as beatings and surveillance." She also said, "Internet, TV, and telephones are cut off at home, and I am anxious because my 16-year-old daughter's health is deteriorating." She seems to claim that this is all due to a political conspiracy. In fact, this claim is valid because it is quite persuasive that Karimova provoked Karimov by posting posts criticizing or slandering her mother and sister on Twitter since 2013. data

Literally, the proclamation, “If even my children harm the country, I will cut off their heads with my own hands,” was not fiction. It is said that due to these allegations of corruption and reckless behavior using power, she has become the 'most hated person' by the people of Uzbekistan, and the people say that they do not care whether this woman dies or not. The Guardian, a British newspaper, claimed that Karimova had recently made a clumsy attempt to establish herself as the person who would inherit her father's power, and that many political opponents had appeared within Uzbekistan. So there is talk that she could be detained in the infamous concentration camp in Uzbekistan.

As a side note, she worked as a businesswoman, jewelry designer, pop star, and movie producer with the power and funds of the president. An anecdote that shows her extreme actions is that at one time, an American company called Interspan was established as a tea maker in Uzbekistan. ) had success by investing in the industry. Gulnara, who saw this, pressured Interspan's employees to force Interspan to withdraw and give up all of its assets in Uzbekistan in 2006. In doing so, Gulnara increased its share of the Uzbekistan tea market from 2% to 67%. She was also the founder and chairman of the board of directors of the Uzbekistan Culture and Arts Forum Foundation and the president of several NGOs focusing on the cultural and social life of Uzbekistan. However, as she personally did not like helping others, these organizations had a large stake in her business and her image. It is said to be an open secret that it is in fact a shell company with a strong propaganda purpose to make it stand out .

He is currently imprisoned on corruption charges.

Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva, 1978 July 3 ( 48 years old)

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He received a master's degree in international studies from the Tashkent University of World Economy and Diplomacy and a doctorate in psychology from Tashkent National University.[19] From 2008 to 2018, he served as Ambassador of Uzbekistan to UNESCO and is currently serving as Ambassador to Switzerland. He lives in a $46 million mansion in Geneva and runs two charities that help orphans and disabled children in Uzbekistan and a perfume brand . She has served as president of the Uzbekistan Gymnastics Federation since its creation in 2005, and in 2010 she was elected honorary president of the Asian Gymnastics Union (AGU).

Even by the standards of Switzerland, the world's most advanced country, she is incredibly wealthy. In 2012, she and her husband were named one of the 300 richest people in Switzerland by the Swiss business magazine Bilan. In September 2013, she herself said in an interview with the BBC that being ranked among the 300 richest people in Switzerland was "far from reality" and an exaggeration. She also claimed that her husband Timur Tillyaev did not participate in public tenders but instead owned shares in a trading and transport company, and that even when he participated in state-sponsored projects such as gas and cotton, he did not receive tax exemption or monopoly status. As of 2013-2014, her wealth was said to be between 100 million and 200 million dollars, and according to a 2017 investigation, she had over 127 million euros (about 184.64 billion won ) in Swiss and UAE bank accounts, and there are even suspicions that the Uzbek mafia was involved in building her and her husband's wealth . For more detailed suspicions about her corruption, please refer to this link. #

In July 2013, it was reported that he had purchased a 58 million dollar, 4,500 square meter, 7 bedroom, 11 bathroom mansion in Beverly Hills. The house's facilities are truly enormous. It is said to have a grand ballroom that can accommodate 200 people, a 40-seat movie theater, indoor and outdoor pools, sauna, gym, underground garage that can accommodate up to 12 cars, a 90-foot long art gallery, a leather-paneled library, a secret staircase leading to a rooftop garden, a massive kitchen divided into several sections, a ballroom, and a 5,000-bottle wine cellar. Outside the home, there's a 60-foot infinity pool, a hot tub, an outdoor kitchen, and three additional bathrooms, while the nearly 1-acre outdoor lot reportedly includes four rose gardens, two fountains, and a pond with real swans. # The comments were mostly critical of how the daughter of the leader of a poor dictatorship could afford such a house.

Two months later, in an interview with the BBC Uzbek Service in September 2013, she said she had not been in contact with her older sister Gulnara for 12 years and that "there are no family or friendly relations between us... we are completely different people." .” he said. #