No One Will Say Whether The Longtime President Of Uzbekistan Is Dead Or Not
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Islam Karimov, the repressive strongman who led the former Soviet country since before its independence, likely died of a brain hemorrhage, but nobody is able to confirm it.
Islam Karimov, Uzbekistan's president since before its independence from the Soviet Union, most likely died on Monday following a brain hemorrhage. He was/is 78.
Brendan Smialowski / AFP / Getty Images
We say "most likely" because there's no news coming out of Uzbekistan — there has been no official confirmations that he passed away despite numerous local sources saying so.
Karimov's death was first reported by Uzbek news agency Fergana, which also broke the news of the president's hospitalization on Saturday. The Russian television station Rain also reported his death, quoting the head of the Association for Human Rights in Central Asia.
The situation calls to mind the death of Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev, whose death was kept quiet for days after he passed. But in the age of Twitter, that's proving much harder for Uzbekistan.
Shamil Zhumatov / Reuters