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.” The body was then taken to the Shah-i-Zinda necropolis, another architecturally significant site, for burial. He crushed opposition, repressed the media and was repeatedly denounced by activists abroad for human rights violations, including killings and torture. Uzbekistan is ex-Soviet central Asia’s most populous country and borders Afghanistan, making it of strategic interest to Russia and the United States. Given the lack of access to the strategic country, it’s hard to judge how powerful the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan might be.

Source: Los Angeles Times September 03, 2016 18:11 UTC