17:31, 23 марта 2026, Bishkek - 24.kg news agency , Turdubek AIGYROV
The Leninsky District Court has changed the preventive measure for journalist Makhabat Tazhibek kyzy, ordering her release from custody.
According to participants in the proceedings, the court partially granted the defense’s motion by approving the request to change the preventive measure. However, it rejected the remaining demands, including the termination of the criminal case.
Earlier, the defense had insisted on fully dropping the charges and securing her immediate release.
On October 10, 2024, the Leninsky District Court sentenced the journalist to six years in prison. The decision was later upheld by the Bishkek City Court, and in February 2025, the Supreme Court of the Kyrgyz Republic also confirmed the ruling.
Subsequently, the defense filed a motion to review the case based on newly discovered circumstances. The Supreme Court later decided to send the case back for retrial to the district court.
Previously, international human rights organizations and media representatives had called for a review of the journalist’s sentence.
Makhabat Tazhibek kyzy is a journalist and head of Temirov LIVE project, and the spouse of investigative journalist Bolot Temirov. Together, they worked on anti-corruption investigations that gained wide public attention. Temirov was earlier expelled from Kyrgyzstan and stripped of citizenship.