Timur Tillyaev is
the husband of the younger daughter of Uzbekistan's president Islam Karimov,
Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva. It's known that Lola and Timur got married in the
mid-2000s and have three children: two daughters and a son.
Timur Tillyaev
attended a high school in the United States and graduated from Midland
University.
He is reportedly a
shareholder in a trade and transport company, Abu Sahiy Nur, a profitable
market leader in Uzbekistan.
Sources close to
the country’s power circles
said that Karimov's younger daughter and her husband have always distanced
themselves from Uzbekistan's politics and political elite, making it clear that
they do not have any political aspirations.
LolaKarimova-Tillyaeva, in her recent interview with the BBC, said that Mr Tillyaev
has not benefited from her family connections and he has never been involved in
public tenders, been associated with national resource industries like gas and
cotton, and does not enjoy tax exemptions or monopoly status.
Karimova-Tillyaeva
told the BBC she doesn't have any political ambitions and never discussed
politics during her rare meeting with her father.
She also revealed
that a rift that divides her and her sister Gulnara Karimova is beyond repair and
they have not been on speaking terms for 12 years.
Earlier reports
which appeared on the internet suggested that Lola and Timur left Uzbekistan
shortly after their got married due to pressure and threats from Lola's elder
sister Gulnara Karimova, who for more than a decade enjoyed all-encompassing
influence and was described by Wikileaked US diplomatic cables as "a
robber baron" and “the most hated person in the country” who pushed her way
into nearly every business sector in Uzbekistan.
Speaking to the BBC
about her relationship with Gulnara, Lola said: "We have never hidden this
from anyone. We have neither family nor friendship contacts.”
Karimova-Tillyaeva
distanced herself from the Uzbek government's policies and the comments she
made on the issues like the use of child labour in cotton fields and the
clampdown on religious activities stood in stark contrast with the Uzbek
government's official line.
Karimova-Tillyaeva
was forthright in her condemnation of the practice of using child labour in
cotton fields, for which Uzbekistan has come under harsh international
criticism for years. She also described "unemployment and lack of
opportunities" as the main sources of frustration which created a breeding
ground for radicalization in the region.
Karimova-Tillyaeva
dismissed her sister Gulnara Karimova's chances to become her father's
successor saying they were "minuscule".
Her comments
sparked an outrage from Gulnara Karimova, who had always sought to project the
image of "the all-powerful princess of Uzbeks" and had on more than
one occasion hinted that a presidential bid may not be out of question. Gulnara
Karimova responded to her sister’s interview with a barrage of accusations, which Lola
Karimova-Tillyaeva called defamatory and slanderous.
“We have been
receiving many requests from the media to comment on the accusations which
Gulnara Karimova has been making against me and my husband. For our part, of
course, we would like to refrain from making any comments on the events.
However, the situation leaves us with no choice but to start consultations with
our lawyers, and consider taking a legal action against Gulnara Karimova
through filing suit in court in connection with the spread of defamatory
statements, slander and threats against me and my husband Timur Tillyaev in
social networking websites and the media,” Karimova-Tillyaeva said in a
statement published on her official website in December.
Lola
Karimova-Tillyaeva heads two charities in Uzbekistan, which help orphanages and
children with special needs. She is also her country’s envoy in the UN cultural
organization, Unesco.
