Tashkent, Uzbekistan - Uzbek authorities are investigating a private U.S. aid group after its office was shut down for publishing a book that government officials said distorted Islam.
The Tashkent prosecutor's office said that the management of Winrock International will be investigated for unlicensed publishing activity.
Dozens of aid groups and several foreign media outlets have been forced out of the Central Asian nation, accused of various misdeeds ranging from illegal proselytizing to espionage.
In an Aug. 7 statement released by the prosecutor's office, Aktam Jalilov, an expert of the government-backed Fund for Regional Politics, said "certain Western circles ... are trying to turn newly independent (Central Asian) states into easily manageable puppet countries" through aid groups.
The case against Winrock is linked to its publication of the book "Islam and Women" under a project to improve conditions for women in rural areas. Uzbek authorities said the book distorted Islam and traditional Uzbek values.
President Islam Karimov has mounted a campaign against foreign aid groups in apparent retaliation for the strong Western criticism of the bloody suppression of a revolt last year.
The government blamed Islamic militants for the uprising and said 187 people died in the eastern city of Andijan. Rights groups and witnesses said hundreds of civilians were killed in the government crackdown.
Under Karimov, Uzbekistan tolerates no dissent and prohibits religious expression outside of state-sponsored religious institutions.
Winrock, based in Little Rock, Ark., is a nonprofit international development agency with anti-poverty programs in more than 65 countries.