AP
Uzbekistan is preparing to bury President
Islam Karimov, one of Asia's most authoritarian leaders, who died this week
aged 78.
His death was
confirmed by the government in Tashkent on Friday, six days after he was taken
to hospital following a stroke.
He ruled for 27 years,
and is accused by human rights groups of harshly repressing dissent.
Saturday's funeral
comes amid uncertainty over who will succeed him.
However, the occasion
- in Mr Karimov's home city of Samarkand - will be overseen by Prime Minister
Shavkat Mirziyoyev, seen as a potential successor.
Three days of mourning
are being observed.
§
Obituary:
Islam Karimov
§
Why
Uzbekistan matters
A United Nations
report has described the use of torture under Mr Karimov as
"systematic".
The late leader often
justified his strong-arm tactics by highlighting the danger from Islamist
militancy in the mainly Muslim country, which borders Afghanistan.
Reading the signs: Analysis by BBC's
Sarah Rainsford
AP
The official announcement of Islam Karimov's death came
on Friday night. But Turkey's PM had sent condolences to Tashkent hours earlier
- live on television - saying that the Uzbek leader had already died.
The Georgian president soon
followed suit. The government in Tashkent has now released a medical report
saying that Mr Karimov suffered a massive stroke last weekend and never
regained consciousness. He died on Friday after his heart stopped for a second
time, the statement says, and a team of doctors - including foreign specialists
- could not resuscitate him.
Islam Karimov ruled for more than
a quarter of a century, without naming a successor, so his death could well
spark a struggle for power behind the scenes.
When Soviet leaders died, people
would check who led the funeral commission for a clue as to who would take
over. That could make Mr Mirziyoyev the man to watch. But, for Uzbekistan, all
this is unprecedented and uncertain.
'Immense pain'
On Saturday a funeral cortege
carried the president's body to Tashkent airport. Video footage showed police
officers saluting the car as it passed, with people throwing flowers in its
path.
At the airport, his wife Tatyana
Karimova and younger daughter Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva, dressed in black and
wearing headscarves, were shown in tears as the coffin was loaded on to a
plane.
News of Mr Karimov's death was
finally confirmed after several foreign leaders and diplomatic sources reported
it on Friday, following days of rumours that he had already died.
Reports from
diplomatic sources suggested several regional leaders were making plans to
visit Samarkand for the funeral, with Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev expected
to represent Russia.
US President Barack
Obama said in a statement the US remained "committed to partnership with
Uzbekistan, to its sovereignty, security, and to a future based on the rights
of all its citizens. for the people of Uzbekistan".
Expressing his condolences in a statement (in
Russian), Russian President Vladimir Putin described Mr Karimov as a statesman
"who had contributed to the security and stability of Central Asia"
and who would be a "great loss for the people of Uzbekistan".
AP
GETTY IMAGES
President Putin
addressed his message to Uzbek senate leader Nigmatulla Yuldashev who, under the
constitution, becomes acting president pending early elections.
INSTAGRAM
Mr Yuldashev is unlikely to fill the presidential role
more permanently, analysts say. Mr Mirziyoyev has been in office since 2003 and
his deputy, Rustam Azimov, is also seen as a key player.
Ms Karimova-Tillyaeva, posted a
black square on Instagram with the words: "He left us... I choose my words
and cannot believe it myself..."
'Repression unchallenged'
Anna Neistat, a senior director
of research with Amnesty International, told the BBC the late leader had
repressed dissent unchallenged by the international community.
"For years and years Karimov
was shutting down any type of opposition, throwing in jail anybody who he
believed could challenge the regime," she said.
After a wave of car
bombs targeted Tashkent in 1999, Mr Karimov said: "I am ready to rip off
the heads of 200 people, to sacrifice their lives, for the sake of peace and
tranquillity in the country. If a child of mine chose such a path, I myself would
rip off his head."
His followers argued
that curbs on freedom were a small price to pay for law and order.
