Kyrgyzstan: Authorities must free journalist Makhabat Tazhibek-kyzy and quash her wrongful conviction
On 2 February, Kyrgyzstan’s Supreme Court is expected to consider whether to resume proceedings against independent investigative journalist Makhabat Tazhibek-kyzy, after her defence lawyers filed a petition requesting a full re-examination of her wrongful conviction.
The petition, which ultimately seeks her immediate release, follows a legal opinion published by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention in October 2025. It concluded that Makhabat Tazhibek-kyzy’s detention was arbitrary, violated multiple provisions of international human rights law and resulted directly from her lawful exercise of the right to freedom of expression.
Ahead of the Supreme Court hearing next week, Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Director, said:
“The Kyrgyzstani authorities now have a clear and unavoidable choice: uphold their international human rights obligations or continue to defy them. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has unequivocally concluded that Makhabat Tazhibek-kyzy’s imprisonment is unlawful, her conviction must be quashed, and she must be immediately released and compensated for the violations suffered. There is nothing ambiguous, optional or symbolic about this decision.”
The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has unequivocally concluded that Makhabat Tazhibek-kyzy’s imprisonment is unlawful, her conviction must be quashed, and she must be immediately released and compensated for the violations suffered
Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Director
“Makhabat Tazhibek-kyzy’s continuous detention sends a chilling message to all independent voices in Kyrgyzstan that reporting on corruption and human rights abuses comes at the price of freedom.”
“The hearing before the Supreme Court is an opportunity to demonstrate that international law and Kyrgyzstan’s own Constitution are not mere words on paper.”
Background
Makhabat Tazhibek-kyzy was arrested along with 10 colleagues on 16 January 2024. They were charged with “calls for mass disorder” solely on the basis of their work for the independent investigative media projects, Temirov LIVE and Ayt Ayt Dese.
On 10 October 2024, following a trial that failed to meet international fair trial standards, Makhabat Tazhibek-kyzy was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment. Appeal courts upheld the conviction.
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