Overview
- Defense lawyers petitioned the Supreme Court to resume proceedings, citing a UN Working Group opinion that found her detention arbitrary and called for quashing the conviction, immediate release, and compensation.
- Press freedom and human rights organizations including CPJ, RSF, IPI, and Amnesty urged authorities to implement the UN recommendations without delay ahead of the court’s consideration.
- Makhabat Tazhibek-kyzy was arrested with 10 colleagues on January 16, 2024, charged with calls for mass disorder, and sentenced to six years on October 10, 2024, with appeals upholding the conviction.
- The UN body identified serious fair-trial violations, including denial of access to a lawyer at the early stages and courts’ failure to provide a duly reasoned verdict, and criticized Criminal Code Article 278 as overly broad and misused against independent media.
- The case forms part of sustained pressure on Temirov Live and Ait Ait Dese, with founder Bolot Temirov deported and other staff receiving mixed outcomes, and concerns raised over authorities’ handling of the couple’s minor son’s custody.