Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov suffers stroke ‘critically ill’

Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov is critically ill, the Uzbek government has said in a statement.

His health has sharply deteriorated over the past 24 hours, the government said on Friday.

Opposition news reports have suggested that Mr Karimov, 78, has expired.

He’s led the former Soviet republic since before independence in 1991.

On Sunday, the Uzbek authorities said Mr Karimov was receiving treatment but didn’t give details.

The president’s daughter said he had suffered a brain haemorrhage, the following day.

In the past, the president’s health was treated like a state secret, the BBC’s Abdujalil Abdurasulov says, and also this week’s statements are the very first time the government has provided advice on the matter.