ALMATY, Kazakhstan (AP) — Internet users in authoritarian Uzbekistan say some international news websites that had been blocked this week are now accessible.
Several major news sites, including those of Reuters and Bloomberg, had been blocked for two days. But three Uzbeks contacted by The Associated Press on Friday said the sites had been opened.
They asked their names not be used due to concern over official retaliation.
Information is strictly controlled in Uzbekistan, where many people rely on foreign online resources for independent reporting.
A handful of Russian news sites made unreachable this week could still not be accessed. Uzbeks have been barred for several years from visiting the websites of the BBC and German broadcaster Deutsche Welle, which produces programs on Central Asia.
