Uzbekistan President's first daughter under house arrest

The sudden death of the President of Uzbekistan has drawn more public attention to his daughter, who is involved in a corruption scandal and is under house arrest on the orders of her own father.

Gulnara Karimova, daughter of the recently deceased Uzbek President, Islam Karimov. Photo: eurasianbusinessbriefing.

Uzbek President Islam Karimov died on September 2 after suffering a stroke at the age of 78. Uzbek Senate Speaker Nigmatilla Yuldashev is currently acting president.

Mr Karimov's eldest daughter, Gulnara Karimova, 42, made international headlines in 2014 when she was reportedly placed under house arrest on her father's orders. Secret recordings obtained and published by the BBC at the time showed Ms Karimova had gone from one of Uzbekistan's most prominent public figures to the most famous "prisoner".

In a secret recording sent abroad on a USB stick, Ms Karimova said: "We need medical help." She claimed "nobody has told us why we are being kept in the house," and she seemed particularly worried about her daughter, Iman, who has a heart condition.

Uzbek President Islam Karimov died on September 2. Photo: Reuters.

'Princess of Uzbekistan'

According to secret US diplomatic cables from 2008, revealed by Wikileaks, Ms. Karimova was her father's favorite daughter, often called "Uzbek princess". After graduating from Harvard University in June 2000, she became an advisor to several diplomatic officials, before being appointed to the position of deputy foreign minister.

In another US diplomatic cable from 2005, Ms Karimova was described as "the most hated person" in Uzbekistan. According to the cable, she was seen as greedy, power-hungry and interested in using her father's power for financial gain.

The diplomatic analysis also concluded that media campaigns "seeking to highlight Ms Karimova's virtues and altruism are likely part of a larger strategy to improve the First Daughter's image".

Another file from 2010 shows that, at the time, Ms Karimova was believed to have owned Uzbekistan’s largest conglomerate, which she used “to support her private business activities”. But it was from here that things began to deteriorate.

When the group abruptly closed in 2010, Ms Karimova became ambassador to Spain and Uzbekistan's representative to the United Nations. At the same time, she successfully entered the entertainment industry. John Colombo, the producer of one of Karimova's music videos, told the BBC that the daughter of the Uzbek president seemed to have the whole country in her hands. "She was everywhere," Colombo said.

The music video is titled How Dare byKarimova

But even the glamorous, captivating music videos failed to convince Karimova’s critics. At a New York show promoting her brand in 2011, protesters showed up to demand an end to child labor in the Central Asian country. Ultimately, New York Fashion Week organizers decided to cancel the show.

In 2011, the AP news agency criticized Ms. Karimova as: "Queen of seduction. International diplomat. Exploiter of the poor."

Corruption scandal

In 2013, Ms Karimova was caught up in a major corruption scandal in Sweden, where reporters said the TeliaSonera media group had bribed Uzbek officials to gain entry into the country's mobile telecommunications market.

Despite TeliaSonera's protests, the prosecutor's office investigated and determined that the money was directed to Karimova. The scandal is said to have cost her the support and trust of her father.

In March 2014, Karimova faced another money laundering investigation in Switzerland, but was believed to have been under house arrest by then.

Her business empire quickly collapsed, with charities and television stations being shut down, as were the luxury and jewelry stores she founded. Despite having her Twitter account suspended, Karimova continued to speak out strongly on social media, calling the closures “a serious attack on civil society in particular and on society in general.”

In just six years, Karimova went from deputy foreign minister to the high-profile owner of Uzbekistan’s largest conglomerate. After working in obscurity, she became the country’s most visible and vocal figure. But she eventually became one of its most vocal critics.

Several photos provided to the Washington Post in 2014 showed her arguing with guards during her detention.

Such arguments "occurred frequently, whenever she tried to step out of the door, to get some air or see if anyone was around, and especially when she wanted more food," said Ms Karimova's spokesman.

Now, after Mr. Karimov's death, Ms. Karimova's fate will become even more of a focus.

The photo shows Ms. Karimova arguing with detention officers. Photo: Washington Post.

According to VNE