The government of Uzbekistan has closed down two Protestant churches in Samarkand, the latest in a series of moves to expel foreign-funded institutions from the authoritarian, ex-Soviet state. Uzbek officials say a Seventh-Day Adventist church and a Protestant church run by a Korean pastor have been closed for violations that include illegal proselytizing. On Monday, an Uzbek court closed down a branch of Central Asia Free Exchange, accusing the American-funded group of urging aid recipients to convert to Christianity. Last month, police broke up meetings of Jehovah’s Witnesses in seven Uzbek cities, while another American-funded group, Global Involvement Through Education, was fined for what were called “attempts to convert locals to a religion of Protestant character.”

-AP