Tatyana Karimova

Islam Karimov was previously married to his first wife, Natalya Petrovna Kuchmi, from 1964 until their divorce during the mid-1960s.^[3] In 1967, he married Tatyana Akbarovna.^[3]

Tatyana Karimova was working as a researcher at the Institute of Economics at the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan at the time of her wedding to Karimov.^[3] They had two daughters, Gulnara Karimova (born 1972) and Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva (born 1978). Additionally, they shared five grandchildren: (Islam Karimova Jr., Iman Karimova, Mariam Tillyaeva, Umar Tillyaev, Safiya Tillyaeva).^[4][5]

In 2013, a feud between Tatyana Karimova and her elder daughter, Gulnara Karimova, spilled onto Twitter.^[6] Gulnara Karimova accused her mother of trying to "destroy" for attempting to prevent the arrest of her cousin, Akbarali Abdullayev.^[6] She also accused her younger sister, Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva, of sorcery.^[6] Gulnara Karimova's Twitter account was suspended shortly after the accusations and she is believed to have been placed under house arrest in 2014.^[6][7]

Karimova served as the first First Lady of Uzbekistan from the country's independence until Islam Karimov's death in 2016.^[1][8] She was known to engage in charity work and official state functions.^[9] However, she was a highly influential advisor on many of her husband's policies.

Tatyana Karimova was expected to be a key figure in choosing her husband's successor in 2016 without being expected to seek the presidency herself.^[1] She was seen as an ally of Rustam Inoyatov, the head of the National Security Service, who was also seen as likely help choose Uzbekistan's next president.^[1] Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyoyev was subsequently elected president in elections held in December 2016.

• Media related to Tatyana Karimova at Wikimedia Commons