(Writes through with IPI statement)

ALMATY, March 28 (Reuters) - International press watchdogs criticised Uzbek prosecutors on Wednesday for opening criminal proceedings against a Deutsche Welle reporter, calling it an attempt to stifle independent reporting in the country.

They made their appeal on the day when German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and other European Union officials were in Central Asia for a regional summit and met the Uzbek foreign minister in the Kazakh capital Astana.

Uzbek prosecutors have accused Natalia Bushuyeva, an Uzbek citizen working for the German broadcaster, of operating without a journalistic licence and tax evasion. Her lawyer has said she could face up to three years in jail if convicted.

"The simultaneous filing of tax and accreditation charges -- coupled with Uzbekistan's unrelenting hostility toward independent journalists -- leads us to conclude that this is a blatant attempt to intimidate and harass Natalia Bushuyeva," the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said in a statement.

"These charges should be dropped immediately."

Rights groups had called on Steinmeier to use his trip to get tough on the often patchy human rights record in Central Asia where some leaders are criticised for cracking down on dissent and jailing opposition activists and journalists.

Uzbekistan has taken an increasingly tough line with foreign media since they reported eyewitness accounts of troops opening fire on a crowd in the town of Andizhan in May 2005.

The Vienna-based International Press Institute (IPI) said it was "very concerned with the worsening media freedom situation in Uzbekistan".

"These events are a disturbing sign that the authorities are trying to stifle independent reporting," it said.

Bushuyeva has not been available for comment. The CPJ said she had fled the country.

Bushuyeva, whose accreditation expired in 2005, was the first reporter to be accused of working without a license since Uzbekistan adopted a law which bans local reporters from working for foreign media outlets without accreditation, the IPI said.

Accreditations can be revoked for a range of reasons, including interfering in the country's internal affairs, according to the law.

"This is not the first time a journalist has been harassed in Uzbekistan, and IPI calls on the Uzbek government to review the new law and to allow journalists to practice their profession without hindrance," the IPI said.

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