11:34, 24 марта 2026, Bishkek - 24.kg news agency , Elena KHOKHLOVA
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) welcomes Kyrgyz journalist Makhabat Tazhibek kyzy’s release from prison and calls on authorities to drop all charges against her.
«The release of Makhabat Tazhibek kyzy from prison is a rare and significant step in the right direction in a country that has been making headlines in recent years for all the wrong reasons,» said Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator. «But this is not enough. Makhabat Tazhibek kyzy should not have spent a single day behind bars on what are clearly trumped-up charges. Kyrgyz authorities should follow through by withdrawing all charges against her without delay.»
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.