President Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan dies at age 78 JIM HEINTZ JIM HEINTZSeptember 3, 2016

FILE-In this file photo taken on Friday, July 10, 2015, Uzbekistan's President Islam Karimov gestures while speaking to Russian President Vladimir Putin during the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization) summit in Ufa, Russia. The Interfax news agency Friday Sept. 2, 2016 cites an Uzbek government statement saying President Islam Karimov is dead. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev, file) More MOSCOW (AP) — Islam Karimov, who crushed all opposition in the Central Asian country of Uzbekistan as its only president in a quarter-century of independence from the Soviet Union, has died of a stroke at age 78, the Uzbek government announced Friday. Karimov will be buried Saturday in the ancient city of Samarkand, his birthplace, the government said in a statement. His younger daughter, Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva, said in a social media post Monday that he had been hospitalized in the capital of Tashkent after a brain hemorrhage Aug. 27. On Friday, she posted again, saying: "He is gone." Little other information was available. Media freedom and human rights have been harshly repressed ever since he became leader in 1989 while it was still a republic of the Soviet Union. One of the world's most authoritarian rulers, Karimov cultivated no apparent successor, and his death raised concerns that the predominantly Sunni Muslim country could face prolonged infighting among clans over its leadership, something its Islamic radical movement could exploit. "The death of Islam Karimov may open a pretty dangerous period of unpredictability and uncertainty in Uzbekistan," Alexei Pushkov, head of the Russian parliament's foreign affairs committee, told the Tass news agency. Given the lack of access to the strategic country, it's hard to judge how powerful the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan might be. Over the years, the group has been affiliated with the Taliban, al-Qaida and the Islamic State group, and it has sent fighters abroad. Under the Uzbek constitution, if the president dies his duties pass temporarily to the head of the senate until an election can be held within three months. However, the head of the Uzbek senate is regarded as unlikely to seek permanent power and Karimov's demise is expected to set off a period of jockeying for political influence. Karimov was known as a tyrant with an explosive temper and a penchant for cruelty. His troops machine-gunned hundreds of unarmed demonstrators to death during a 2005 uprising, he jailed thousands of political opponents, and his henchmen reportedly boiled some dissidents to death. He came under widespread international criticism from human rights groups, but because of Uzbekistan's location as a vital supply route for the war in neighboring Afghanistan, the West sometimes turned a blind eye to his worst abuses. Noting Karimov's death, President Barack Obama said in a statement the U.S. "reaffirms its support for the people of Uzbekistan." "This week, I congratulated President Karimov and the people of Uzbekistan on their country's 25 years of independence," Obama said in the statement. "As Uzbekistan begins a new chapter in its history, the United States remains committed to partnership with Uzbekistan, to its sovereignty, security, and to a future based on the rights of all its citizens. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was "saddened" at Karimov's death and paid tribute to his efforts "to develop strong ties between Uzbekistan and the United Nations as well as strengthen regional and global peace and security," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. Ban singled out Karimov's promotion of the treaty to establish the Central Asian Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone which entered into force in 2009. China's Foreign Ministry called Karimov "a sincere friend" who promoted a strategic partnership between the two countries. His death "is a great loss of the Uzbek people," ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said, according to state media. Uzbekistan, a country of 30 million people famous for its apricot orchards, cotton fields and ancient stone cities along the Silk Road, had been one of the Muslim world's paragons of art and learning. But Karimov cracked down on any form of Islam that wasn't patently subservient to him. His leadership style was epitomized by propaganda posters often displayed in Uzbekistan that depicted him alongside Tamerlane, a 14th-century emperor who had conquered a vast region of West, South and Central Asia. He was known to shout and swear at officials during meetings and it was widely rumored that in bursts of anger he would beat officials and throw ashtrays at them. Under Karimov, the economy remained centralized, with a handful of officials controlling the most lucrative industries and trade. A 1996 ban on the free convertibility of the national currency, the som, blocked trade and foreign investment, while unemployment soared and poverty was widespread. Read More