Uzbekistan's widely criticized authoritarian leader Islam Karimov was hailed as a statesman and democrat by his government as he was laid to rest Saturday in the ancient silk road city of Samarkand. Thousands of men packed the square — women were excluded — to hear a mufti give a funeral prayer that said "Islam Karimov served his people." Karimov became the leader of Uzbekistan in 1989, when it was a Soviet republic, and held power with ruthless determination throughout all of Uzbekistan's independence. "The death of Islam Karimov may open a pretty dangerous period of unpredictability and uncertainty in Uzbekistan," Pushkov told the Tass news agency on Friday. Given the lack of access to the strategic country, it's hard to judge how powerful the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan might be.

Source: ABC News September 03, 2016 07:07 UTC