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58 I Eurasia bne August 2024
“Once she wanted to meet another inmate [from a different part of the prison compound]. She went to the guards and became hysterical. The guards then brought that inmate and the two women went for a walk for about an hour. It’s a kind of VIP treatment. If anyone else would try that, she would be punished,” the woman claimed.
While building up massive corrupt wealth in the world of business, Karimova also served as Tashkent’s permanent representative to the UN in Geneva in 2008, and was made Uzbek ambassador to Spain in 2010.
She’s also remembered for her attempts at making a name for herself in the worlds of glamour and celebrity. She released pop songs under the stage name Googoosha and designed jewellery.
At one point she was spoken of as the likely successor to her president father. But she vanished from public view in 2014. There were reports that she had fallen out with her father, who was president from 1989 until his death in 2016.
Karimova still faces a range of criminal charges in the United States, Switzerland and other countries in relation to alleged illegal business practices.
In the interview with the blogger, the former inmate also alleged that Karimova once began a “rebellion” in the prison, but did not specify what is meant to have happened.
RFE/RL’s Uzbek Service, meanwhile, has reported one employee of the prison as claiming that Karimova and her “behaviour” and “provocations” have created a headache for prison officials.
"The prison administration has several times had to appeal to high-placed authorities about Gulnara Karimova’s behaviour and the provocations she staged against other inmates,” the employee was quoted as saying, adding: “On one hand, we are instructed to be cautious in handling her. On the other hand, we were told: ‘Don’t give her any special treatment.”
2019-2020 elections, UzLiDeP increased its seat count by one, while the second- largest party, Milliy Tiklanish (National Revival), maintained its 36 seats.
Milliy Tiklanish appeals to more conservative voters, akin to Western culture war conservatives, while UzLiDeP targets youthful, reformist, and enterprise-focused demographics. The People's Democratic Party of Uzbekistan, catering to the poorer populace, saw
a slight decline in support in the
last election, reflecting Mirziyoyev’s leadership's impact on reducing poverty.
Additionally, the new legislation bans foreign political parties' operations
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within Uzbekistan – the local equivalent of Russia’s so-called foreign agents law. This move aims to limit the political activities of diaspora groups, particu- larly the sizeable Karakalpak commu- nity in Kazakhstan. The government has prioritised quelling any political mobili- sation around Karakalpak autonomy issues since the unrest of July 2022.
As bne IntelliNews columnist Bruce Pannier recently wrote on the second anniversary of the unrest, Uzbek authorities have been working to silence Karakalpaks inside and outside Uzbekistan who would seek to serve reminders about what happened that month. Violence erupted after it was
announced a constitutional right to
ask for succession from Uzbekistan
was going to be nixed and officially
21 people were killed in the ensuing protests although witnesses claimed the figure was several times higher. Since then the authorities have worked hard to smooth the ground and Karakalpaks have been unable to raise their voice or seek restitution for their injuries.
Nevertheless, despite the legislative changes, President Mirziyoyev claims
to support opposition movements. “As president, I am not against the opposi- tion,” he said in 2019. “But we need to create the conditions for it to materi- alise here, [for it to be an opposition] that understands the problems of the people, for them to have experienced the same things as the people, who have drunk water and eaten bread here.”
Most opposition figures, like Muhammad Salih, have lived in exile since the 1990s. Efforts to participate
in domestic politics, such as Salih's attempted 2019 parliamentary bid,
have failed. Similarly, Khidirnazar Allakulov faced threats and harassment for trying to register his Hakikat va Tarakkiyot (Truth and Progress) party. The unregistered Erk (Freedom) party also faced government pressure, leading singer Jahongir Otajonov to withdraw his 2021 presidential candidacy after threats and attacks.
In his July 2023 inauguration speech, Mirziyoyev vowed to uphold the right to “constructive opposition,” stating, “We guarantee the activities of the constructive opposition – I repeat, the constructive opposition – freedom of speech and the press, and the rights of citizens to receive, use and disseminate information.”
Nevertheless, improvements in press freedoms and the president’s call for more critical reporting have seen limited progress. The upcoming October elections will likely see
the same five parties competing on unchanged platforms, with the results determining their share of state funding and parliamentary seats for the next five-year term.