The Uzbek regime ranks routinely as one of the most repressive in the world, according to annual rankings by civil society organizations like Transparency International and Freedom House. Karimov is responsible for that abysmal record. He was appointed first secretary of the Communist Party of Uzbek Socialist Soviet Republic in 1989. After independence, he became president in 1991, and he has not budged since. In 2007, he was “elected” to a third term despite a Constitution that allows a maximum of two terms. He is widely referred to as a dictator.
His daughters, Gulnara, 42, and Lola, 36, live lavishly. Gulnara, the butt of jokes for amassing a great fortune at the expense of Uzbek citizens, is also a pop star who goes by the stage name GooGoosha and a fashion designer who—until her recent house arrest and apparent fall from grace—exhibited at western fashion shows in places like New York and Milan. She attended a master’s program at Harvard, and graduated in 2000. Secret US government dispatches released by WikiLeaks describe her as a ‘’robber baron.’
In a year-long investigation, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) found that the Karimovs, particularly Gulnara, have used their position to accumulate massive wealth. The family has set up dozens of companies in the UK, Hong Kong, British Virgin Islands, France, and the United Arab Emirates and through them has taken a cut in major deals involving telecom licensing, privatizations, transportation, oil and gas. The companies hid the funds from such deals by moving them into luxuries and real estate in Switzerland, France, the UK, and the Emirates.
Based on OCCRP research, the sum involved is at least XXXX, and possibly much more.
While Gulnara’s posing and conspicuous displays of opulence eventually got her into hot water, her younger sister has kept a lower profile. Lola has crafted a public image as a humanitarian and a philanthropist. She serves as Uzbekistan's envoy to UNESCO. Her charitable foundation, You Are Not Alone, was founded in 2002 to support orphans. It is her husband, Timur Tillyaev, who appears as the businessman. It is believed that Lola conducts business deals through him. The Tillyaevs own an import/transportation company in Uzbekistan. Lola and Timur live in a US $46 million mansion in Switzerland with their three children.
Uzbekistan is the biggest family business in the world.
Scott Horton, Central Asia specialist & editor of Harpers Magazine
Recently, the President’s elder daughter Gulnara came under scrutiny for her shady business dealings. Her assets were frozen and it is believed that she is under house arrest. Yet, it is questionable to what extent this is intended to serve as a distraction from the regime’s continuous atrocious record. Karimov suffers from almost no western pressure to reform. The US and the European Union overlook all but the most blatant human rights offenses and corruption in exchange for use of Uzbekistan’s strategic location in the “war on terror” and its abundance of fossil fuels.
