Harsh Uzbek leader buried amid praise from his Cabinet

By Jim Heintz, Associated Press MOSCOW — Uzbekistan’s widely criticized authoritarian leader Islam Karimov was hailed as a statesman and democrat by his government as he was laid to rest Saturday in the ancient silk road city of Samarkand. People throw flowers on limousines as they gather along the road under the Uzbekistan national flag with a black ribbon to watch the funeral procession of President Islam Karimov in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, early Saturday, Sept. 3, 2016. Karimov has died of a stroke at age 78, the Uzbek government announced Friday. (AP Photo/Umida Akhmedova) The coffin of 78-year-old Karimov, whose death from a cerebral hemorrhage was announced Friday, was placed in the renowned Registan square, flanked on three sides by Islamic schools covered in intricate, colorful tiles and topped with aqua cupolas. Thousands of men packed the square — women were excluded — to hear a mufti give a funeral prayer that said [...]