The Uzbek government has filed criminal charges against the staff of Internews, the U.S.-based media organization announced in a 5 July press release on its website (http://www.internews.org). Local staff members have been charged with \"conspiracy to engage in productions of videos and publications of informational materials without the necessary licenses,\" the press release said. Internews described the government moves as \"Upping the stakes in a year-long campaign to limit the activities of western nongovernmental democracy organizations.\" Joshua Machleder, Internews director for Central Asia, told RFE/RL\'s Uzbek Service on 6 July, \"This seems, very much to me, like the Uzbek government taking revenge or taking an attack out on the employees of a U.S.-funded organization because of a disagreement with the U.S.\'s position that an independent, international and open investigation should take place into what happened in Andijon.\" (RFE/RL)