Background
Sydykova was born in what is now Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan.
Sydykova was born in what is now Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan.
Graduate, Moscow State University.
At the time of her birth the city was known as Frunze and was the capital of the Kyrgyz Soviet Socialist Republic, a subdivision of the Soviet Union. The city changed its name to Bishkek after gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. In 1992, after Kyrgyzstan became independent, she founded the country"s first independent newspaper, Respublika ("Republic") and as editor-in-chief she struggled to promote freedom of the press and the concept of an open society.
Her criticism of then president Askar Akayev and his increasingly authoritarian regime resulted in her arrest and imprisonment, along with repeated attempts by the authorities to close down the newspaper.
In 2005 she was appointed to the position of ambassador to the United States as a result of president Bakiyev"s landslide election victory, following the popular uprising that forced president Akayev to flee the country (see: Tulip Revolution).
Sydykova studied journalism at the prestigious Moscow State University and after graduating began working as a reporter for the popular newspaper, Komsomolets Kirgizii, the local organ of the Soviet communist party"s youth wing, Communist Youth League.