![Uzbek court bars activities of pro-democracy group](https://www.jurist.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/jurist-white-text.png)
[JURIST] The Tashkent City Court in Uzbekistan [government website, JURIST news archive] has ordered Washington DC-based pro-democracy group Freedom House [advocacy website] to suspend its activities [FH press release] there for the next six months. The government alleges that the group, funded by US government and private sources, has provided public Internet access without a license and committed other violations of Uzbek laws, including administrative irregularities. The suspension is seen as another example of repression by the Uzbek government since its crackdown during the Andijan uprising [JURIST news archive] last May. International rights groups, including experts in the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights [official website], have expressed concern [JURIST report] over the fairness of the resulting Andijan trials and the government's refusal to submit to an independent investigation of the event. Saturday's New York Times has more [free registration required].