Remembering Uzbekistan

I haven’t had occasion to think about Uzbekistan for a while, but this morning two matters brought the country to mind.
First, we had a Christmas card from one of the members of the small group with which we toured Uzbekistan last year. You can read my account of that trip here.
Second, I read a newspaper report of the re-election this week of the President of Uzbekistan, the hardliner Islam Karimov who has now been in power since 1991. You can read the article here.
Karimov has around 300 political dissidents and some 8,000 religious prisoners in his brutal jails, while his people live on average wages of $24 (£12) a month.