The Supreme Court of Kyrgyzstan has postponed the consideration of a defense motion in the case of journalist Makhabat Tazhibek kyzy, the court’s press service told 24.kg news agency.
The postponement is due to the large volume of case materials and the need to provide time for their review. The hearing has been rescheduled for March 3.
Makhabat Tazhibek kyzy was sentenced to six years in prison under an article on «calls for mass unrest.» She was denied a deferral of the sentence despite being the mother of a minor child.
On January 16, 2024, mass detentions took place in the country, with 11 people linked to the journalistic projects Temirov LIVE and Ait, Ait Dese arrested. The journalists were accused of «calls for mass unrest» based on their professional activities.
On October 10, 2024, the Leninsky District Court of Bishkek sentenced Makhabat Tazhibek kyzy, head of Temirov LIVE, to six years in prison. On December 18, 2024, the Bishkek City Court upheld the guilty verdict. On February 25, 2025, the Supreme Court left the ruling in force.
The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found that Kyrgyzstan violated seven articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and six articles of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, concluding that Makhabat Tazhibek kyzy’s deprivation of liberty was a direct result of her legitimate exercise of freedom of expression, journalistic activity, and investigations into corruption.
Following the UN Working Group’s opinion, Makhabat Tazhibek kyzy’s lawyer filed a motion with the Supreme Court to reopen the case based on newly discovered circumstances. Activists have called on diplomatic missions, international human rights organizations, journalists, and editors of international and national media outlets to attend the court hearing as observers.
