Uzbekistan opens up on president's health

Rumours about Islam Karimov's health are not new; the confirmation certainly is

In Uzbekistan, information about the president's health is hidden from the public and treated like a state secret. That is why a report by the Cabinet of the Ministers confirming that Islam Karimov is "receiving inpatient treatment" is so shocking.

A day after Sunday's announcement, Mr Karimov's daughter, Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva, wrote on Instagram that he had suffered a brain haemorrhage. His condition is stable, she said, but she went on to say it was "too early to make any predictions about his future health".

Islam Karimov's annual dance is always seen as a show of health

Rumours that Mr Karimov, 78, had had a stroke or a heart attack have circulated plenty of times in the past.
He has ruled since 1989, first as a communist party leader of Soviet Uzbekistan and then as a president after the country gained independence.


The rumours last emerged just before the 2015 presidential election, when he had not been seen in public for several weeks, fuelling rumours about his health.

Often, the sources of these rumours are members of the opposition in exile - the People's Movement of Uzbekistan and its leader, Muhammad Salih. Up until now, the government has never commented.

Occasionally, family members wrote on social media about the president's health, as his daughter just did.
Because there is rarely any official information, Mr Karimov's public appearances have been seen as evidence of the state of his health.

That is probably why it became a tradition for him to dance during major holiday festivities. By throwing up his hands to the rhythmic Uzbek folk song in front of a cheering crowd, the president sends a message to the nation: "Look at me, I am healthy and will rule the country for many more years."