Uzbekistan's pro-government press-uz.info website say authorities have "irrefutable evidence" that members of the Partnership in Academics and Development (PAD) NGO have been proselytizing among local Muslims and Orthodox Christians.
Also, Uzbek officials claim the Massachusetts-based group is offering access to the Internet without a proper license.
On its website, PAD says it was set up in 1999 to help Uzbek university professors with new textbooks and modern equipment and to help them expand contacts with the world academic community.
Uzbek courts have in recent months ordered the closure of many U.S. and other foreign NGOs after various accusations.
Press-uz.info says two South Korean groups -- the Korean Foundation for World Aid and the Institute of Asian Culture and Development -- were recently banned from the country on proselytizing charges.
(press-uz.info)
Central Asian Cinema
EAST OF THE WEST: On June 29, RFE/RL's Prague broadcasting center hosted a presentation by GULNARA ABIKEYEVA, director of the Central Asian Cinematography Center in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Abikeyeva is a leading expert on Kazakh and Central Asian cinema, a chairwoman of the jury of this year's East Of The West section of the Karlovy Vary film festival. Abikaeyeva gave an overview of major trends in Central Asian cinema since the 1960s. Abikeyeva has just completed a major DVD collection of the most popular films of the five Central Asian countries and is now beginning work on a similar collection of Central Asian documentaries.
LISTEN
Listen to the complete presentation (45 minutes):Real Audio Windows Media
Other Articles On Central Asian Culture:
Silk Road Revival Grows As More Sites Protected
Central Asian Directors Discuss Issues Behind The Camera
Ancient European Music Meets Central Asian Masters
Central Asian Masters Revive Old Ways Of Teaching Traditional Music
ARCHIVE
To view an archive of RFE/RL's reporting on culture throughout its broadcast area, click here.
THE COMPLETE STORY: Click on the icon to view a dedicated webpage bringing together all of RFE/RL's coverage of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.