Bekcan, Sefer

Gender: .
State of concern: .

Who, Why and How exiled:

Bekcan is the co-founder of the Birlik movement and the Erk Democratic Party of Uzbekistan (Uzdem Fund Suisse, 2018). He is also a well-known writer and member of the International PEN club (Uzdem Fund Suisse, 2018). He is part of the opposition in exile; in 2010 he founded the Democratic Fund of Uzbekistan (Uzdem Fund Suisse, 2018).

Category of exile: . (Definitions here.)
Alleged affiliation: Birlik, Erk Party.

Which stages experienced: Stage 1   Stage 2   Stage 3. (Definitions here.)
Date of most serious incident: 1997.
Violence experienced: .

Stage 1 details (accusations/ charges/ Interpol notice/ extradition requests):

Sayyid was featured on wanted signs in his hometown of Bukhara in Uzbekistan after being labeled a “religious extremist terrorist” by the Uzbek state (Kendzior, p. 224).

Stage 2 details (arrest/ detention/ extradition):

In 1994, he was arrested for violating Article 129 of the criminal code and sentenced to three years in prison (Human Rights Watch, 1996).

Stage 3 details (attack/ abduction/ rendition/ torture/ assassination/ death):

He was imprisoned for three years in Uzbekistan (Human Rights Watch, 1996).

Other actions during Stages 1–3 (dispossession/ overseas assets frozen/ intimidation/ action against associates/ …):

Uzdem Fund Suisse (2018) describes Bekcan as being "persecuted" in Russia by the Uzbek authorities, requiring him to leave for Switzerland (Uzdem Fund Suisse, 2018).

International arrest warrant: .

Countries of transit, asylum and/or residence: , .

Legal status (refugee/ asylum seeker/ resident):

After his release and continued persecution by the Uzbek authorities for his political activities, Bekcan fled to Moscow in 1997 (Uzdem Fund Suisse, 2018). He went on to move from Russia to Switzerland in 1998 (Uzdem Fund Suisse, 2018).

Current status:

Bekcan continues to leave Sweden and runs the blog Uzdem Fund Suisse (Uzdem Fund Suisse, 2018).


Press sources:

Human Rights Watch. (1996). Uzbekistan: Persistent Human Rights Violations and Prospects for Improvement- Summary. Available: https://www.hrw.org/reports/1996/UZBEK.htm. Last accessed 20th April 2018.

Uzdem Fund Suisse. (2018). Autobiography. Available: http://uzdemfundsuisse.blogspot.co.uk/. Last accessed 20th April 2018.