17:43, 23 марта 2026, Bishkek - 24.kg news agency , Myrzaiym ZHANYBEK KYZY
The next court hearing in the case of journalist Makhabat Tazhibek kyzy has been scheduled for April 7, lawyer Akynbek Nogoev reported.
Today, the court released the journalist on her own recognizance. Despite the mitigation of the prevention measure, the defense is dissatisfied with the court’s ruling on other counts.
«We are dissatisfied with the decision regarding the refusal to dismiss the case. The court did not uphold our motion to completely close the proceedings,» the lawyer noted.
Speaking about future plans, he explained that at the next hearing, scheduled for April 7, the defense will no longer file motions to dismiss the case at this stage. The trial will proceed to the consideration on the merits.
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.