Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov 'critically ill'

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

He is reported to have been taken to hospital on Saturday after suffering a stroke. 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 died.

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

On Sunday, the Uzbek government said Mr Karimov was receiving treatment but did not give details.

The next day, the president's daughter said he had suffered a brain haemorrhage.

In the past, the president's health has been treated like a state secret, the BBC's Abdujalil Abdurasulov says, and this week's statements are the first time the government has provided information on the subject.

Analysis - Steve Rosenberg,  News, Moscow

In recent days rumours have been swirling about President Karimov's condition and even his whereabouts.

Islam Karimov has ruled Uzbekistan for more than 27 years. He came to power when his country was still part of the Soviet Union.

And he's stayed in power by creating what human rights groups call one of the most repressive regimes in the world. It's believed that thousands of his opponents have been put in prison, torture is endemic in the justice system and freedom of speech suppressed.

Uzbekistan: Authoritarian state with an unchallenged leader