In a July 12 ruling, the Tashkent City Court ordered Urban Institute out of the country for engaging in activities inconsistent with the charter of the Washington D.C.-headquartered NGO, positioning itself as an economic and social policy research group. The decision was passed on a suit lodged by the Justice Ministry after a January inspection of the organization's local office.
Tashkent accused a whole number of overseas-based NGOs of backing the opposition and attempting to discredit the country following unrest in the southeastern city of Andijan last May.
In July, Arkansas-based Winrock International was ejected for allegedly producing video and print materials misrepresenting traditional gender roles in Uzbek society.
In the past six months, Uzbek authorities have expelled the Eurasia Foundation, Freedom House, the International Research and Exchanges Board, the American Bar Association, Counterpart International, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and the American Council for Collaboration in Education and Language Study (ACCELS), according to IRIN, an independent news service within the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
