Responding to a decision by a court in Kyrgyzstan to release investigative journalist and Temirov LIVE editor-in-chief Makhabat Tazhibek-kyzy from custody and subject her to a travel ban pending a retrial, Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Director, said:
“While Makhabat Tazhibek-kyzy’s release from prison is a long-overdue step towards justice that allows her to reunite with her son, it does not erase the human rights violations she has already endured and those she faces with possible retrial.”
“The Kyrgyzstani authorities should immediately drop all charges and lift the travel ban against Makhabat Tazhibek-kyzy, and provide her with an effective remedy for the violations she has already suffered.
“The targeting of Makhabat Tazhibek-kyzy, and earlier, of her colleagues from Temirov LIVE and Ayt Ayt Dese media projects, sends a chilling message to investigative journalists across the country. No journalist should be prosecuted solely for reporting on matters of public interest. The authorities must abide by Kyrgyzstan’s international human rights obligations and provide a safe environment for independent journalism and ensure full respect for the right to freedom of expression.”
The targeting of Makhabat Tazhibek-kyzy, and earlier, of her colleagues from Temirov LIVE and Ayt Ayt Dese media projects, sends a chilling message to investigative journalists across the country. No journalist should be prosecuted solely for reporting on matters of public interest
Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Director
Background
On 23 March, the Lenin District Court of Bishkek ordered Makhabat Tazhibek-kyzy’s release after more than two years’ detention, replacing her custodial measure with a travel restriction. The decision followed a ruling by the Supreme Court on 10 March to overturn her previous conviction and retry her case.
Makhabat Tazhibek-kyzy was arrested in January 2024 along with other journalists and media workers associated with Temirov LIVE and Ayt Ayt Dese, two independent media projects that have investigated alleged corruption in Kyrgyzstan. She and her colleague Azamat Ishenbekov faced trumped up charges of “inciting mass unrest,” and were sentenced to six and five years’ imprisonment respectively, on 10 October 2024. Makhabat’s husband, prominent investigative journalist Bolot Temirov, had previously been stripped of his Kyrgyzstani citizenship and forced into exile. Azamat Ishenbekov was released on 9 April 2025 by presidential pardon.
