Shukrullo Mirsaidov

Shukrullo Raxmatovich Mirsaidov (February 14, 1939 - November 1, 2012) (in Cyrillic Uzbek: Шукрулло Рахматович Мирсаидов; in Russian: Шукрулла Рахметович Мирсаидов Shukrulla Rakhmatovich Mirsaidov; his first name is often shortened as Shukur) was a politician in Uzbekistan.

Formerly mayor of Tashkent and a key ally of the first Uzbek President Islam Karimov,^[1] Mirsaidov had served as the last Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars (prime minister) of the Uzbek SSR (1990) and then as Vice President of Uzbekistan until Karimov abolished this office on 8 January 1992.^[2]

Mirsaidov criticised Karimov's administration, posing the most significant political threat to the administration at that time. Before his resignation, he sent an open letter to Karimov stating, "democracy and a policy of openness are being replaced by an authoritarian regime."^[3] In 1993, he formed the Forum of Democratic Forces as an attempt to unite parties opposed to Karimov's rule. It was unsuccessful. Mirsaidov created a new party, Adolat (Justice) in December 1994, calling for liberal economic reforms, political pluralism and secularism.^[4]

Mirsaidov was tried and convicted of embezzlement and corruption in 1994, and had to pay $1 million in fines. On 24 August 1994, a bomb destroyed his car as he and a colleague were walking toward it. On 18 September of that year, he and his son, Hasan, were beaten in the street by unknown assailants. Hasan was also kidnapped and beaten in 1996.

Mirsaidov died in Tashkent at the age of 73 on 1 November 2012.^[5]

References

1. Pauline Jones Luong (ed.) (2004) The Transformation of Central Asia: States and Societies from Soviet Rule to Independence, Cornell University Press, p178
2. Ethnic Conflict in the Post-Soviet World: Case Studies and Analysis, p300
3. Uzbekistan Human Rights Developments Human Rights Watch
4. US Library of Congress country study, 1996
5. BBC obituary, 2 November 2012 (in Uzbek)

• Nations in Transit 1998: Country Report of Uzbekistan (PDF)