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Rafiq Nishonov
Рафиқ Нишонов
12th First Secretary of the Communist Party of Uzbek SSR
In office 12 January 1988 – 23 June 1989
Preceded by	Inomjon Usmonxoʻjayev
Succeeded by	Islam Karimov
Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Uzbek SSR
In office 9 December 1986 – 9 April 1988
Preceded by	Akil Salimov
Succeeded by	Poʻlat Habibullayev
Personal details
Born	(1926-01-15)15 January 1926 Gʻazalkent, Uzbek SSR, Soviet Union (now Uzbekistan)
Died	11 January 2023(2023-01-11) (aged 96) Geneva, Switzerland
Political party	CPSU (1949–1991)

Rafiq Nishonovich Nishonov (Cyrillic Uzbek: Рафиқ Нишонович Нишонов; Russian: Рафик Нишанович Нишанов Rafik Nishanovich Nishanov; 15 January 1926 – 11 January 2023) was the thirteenth First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Uzbek SSR. Nishonov held this position for 17 months, from 12 January 1988 to 23 June 1989. His replacement was Islam Karimov. Prior to that, he also served as the Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Uzbek SSR between 1986 and 1988. He was also Chairman of the Soviet of Nationalities from 1989 to 1991.

Early life and career

Rafik Nishanov was born on January 15, 1926, in Gazalkent in the family of a farm laborer. Rafik Nishanov's grandfather was from Shakhrisabz. Since 1942, he has been a collective farmer at the Chirchik collective farm in the Boʻstonliq District of the Tashkent Oblast. In 1943, he became secretary of the executive committee of the Gazalkent village council. From 1945 to 1950 he served in the Soviet Army. In 1949 he joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

In 1950, he worked as the head of the department of the Oktyabrsky district committee of the Komsomol of Uzbekistan in the city of Tashkent. In 1956, he became the head of one of the departments of the Tashkent City Committee of the Communist Party of Uzbekistan. In 1959, he graduated from the Tashkent Evening Pedagogical Institute with a degree in history teacher. In 1969 he received a Candidate of Historical Sciences degree. In 1962, he became Chairman of the Tashkent City Executive Committee.

Diplomatic career

From 1970 to 1978, he served as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Sergey Lavrov, who has since 2004 served as the Foreign Minister of Russia, served as his Sinhala interpreter. Since 1978, he was Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the USSR to Jordan. In 1985, Rafik Nishanov returned to his homeland, where he served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Uzbek SSR  .

Leader of the Uzbek SSR

Like many other leaders in the Uzbek SSR, he strongly opposed allowing Crimean Tatars the right of return and rebuked them for wanting to return to Crimea, even saying that Crimean Tatars who want to leave the Uzbek SSR should find "their place" in faraway Kazan.

Career in Moscow

On June 6, 1989, he was elected chairman of the Council of Nationalities of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. He was a People's Deputy of the USSR from 1989-1991. In September 1991, he became an advisor to Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev.

Later life

He retired in November 1991, living in Moscow. In 2012, he published a book of memoirs, “Trees Turn Green Before Snowstorms”. In 2013, he was elected to the Council of the Association of Russian Diplomats. Nishonov died on 11 January 2023, 4 days before his 97th birthday. He was buried in the Muslim Cemetery of Geneva next to his wife.

Personal life

His wife Rano Nazarovna was a deputy minister of culture of the Uzbek SSR. His son Sabir was an officer in the Soviet and later Uzbek army. Then - head of AF Telecom Holding LLC. His daughter is a teacher.

Awards

• Honorary title "Honored Worker of Culture of the Uzbek SSR" (14 January 1986)
• Two Order of the Red Banner of Labour
• Two Order of the Badge of Honour
• Gratitude of the Government of the Russian Federation (14 January 2011)
• Order of Honor (22 December 2015)
• Order of Alexander Nevsky (15 January 2021)

References

1. "Rafiq Nishonov vafot etdi".
2. "Index Ng-Nz".
3. Dagikhudo Dagiev (30 October 2013). Regime Transition in Central Asia: Stateness, Nationalism and Political Change in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Routledge. p. 29. ISBN 978-1-134-60069-4.
4. Eric McGlinchey (30 September 2011). Chaos, Violence, Dynasty: Politics and Islam in Central Asia. University of Pittsburgh Pre. p. 10. ISBN 978-0-8229-7747-6.
5. "СОЮЗ СОВЕТСКИХ СОЦИАЛИСТИЧЕСКИХ РЕСПУБЛИК". 28 September 2011. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011.
6. "O'zbekiston rahbarlari: kecha va bugun". kun.uz (in Uzbek).
7. Илья Канавин. Искушенный политик, вести недели, 16 January 2011
8. Национальный вопрос в СССР: сборник документов (in Russian). Suchasnistʹ. 1975.
9. "Скончался Рафик Нишанов". nuz.uz. 12 January 2023. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
10. "Рафик Нишанович Нишанов". Pravda Vostoka (in Russian). No. 8. 13 January 2023. p. 3.
11. "Ўзбекистон ССР Олий Совети Президиумининг Фармони Ўртоқ Р.Н. Нишоновга «Ўзбекистон ССРда хизмат кўрсатган маданият ходими» фахрий унвони бериш тўғрисида". Sovet Oʻzbekistoni (in Uzbek). 15 January 1986. p. 1.
12. ^ "Ўзбекистон Компартияси Марказий Комитетининг биринчи секратари Рафиқ Нишонович Нишонов". Sovet Oʻzbekistoni (in Uzbek). 13 January 1988. p. 1.
13. "С наградой вас, люди трудовой доблести!". Pravda Vostoka (in Russian). 3 March 1965. p. 4.

v t e Leaders of Uzbekistan
Uzbek SSR	Vladimir Ivanov Kuprian Kirkizh Nikolai Gikalo Isaak Zelensky Akmal Ikramov Pyotr Yakovlev* Usman Yusupov Sirodzh Nurutdinov Amin Niyazov Nuritdin Mukhitdinov Sobir Kamolov Sharof Rashidov Inomjon Usmonxoʻjayev Rafiq Nishonov Islam Karimov
Uzbekistan	Islam Karimov Nigmatilla Yuldashev* Shavkat Mirziyoyev
* denotes acting

• 1926 births
• 2023 deaths
• People from Tashkent Region
• Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary (Soviet Union)
• Ambassadors of the Soviet Union to Jordan
• Ambassadors to the Maldives
• Ambassadors to Sri Lanka
• Chairmen of the Soviet of Nationalities
• Communist Party of Uzbekistan politicians
• First secretaries of the Communist Party of Uzbekistan
• Foreign ministers of Uzbekistan
• Heads of state of Uzbekistan
• Party leaders of the Soviet Union
• Members of the Central Committee of the 22nd Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
• Seventh convocation members of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union
• Eleventh convocation members of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union
• Recipients of the Order of Alexander Nevsky
• Recipients of the Order of the Badge of Honour
• Recipients of the Order of Honour (Russia)
• Recipients of the Order of Lenin
• Recipients of the Order of the October Revolution
• Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour
• Soviet diplomats