Orazov, Khudaiberdy
Who, Why and How exiled: Orazov was the deputy prime minister of Turkmenistan in 1999 and 2000, now leader of opposition movement Vatan. According to Mr. Orazov's accounts, he has escaped the country fearing detention, later he was charged taking part in so-called assassination attempt against former president Niyazov (Global Voices, 2011).In 2000, he lost the confidence of the President and “was accused of embezzling large sums of money” (Peyrouse, 2011, p. 79). He left the country in 2001 intending to join the exiled opposition, and in December 2002, he founded the Watan movement (Peyrouse, 2011, p. 79).
Stage 1 details (accusations/ charges/ Interpol notice/ extradition requests): When Orazov and Nurmuhammed Khanamov visited Ukraine in 2007 the Turkmen authorities maintained that they were on Interpol’s wanted list (Gündogar, 2007). A Turkmenistan court upheld a travel ban against Orazov’s sister in 2008 (Human Rights Watch, 2008). Her husband was also barred from boarding a flight from Turkmenistan to Moscow in 2008, and was provided with no other explanation than that the authorities had issued a travel ban on him (Human Rights Watch, 2008).
Stage 2 details (arrest/ detention/ extradition): Orazov, along with Nurmuhammed Khanamov and Boris Shikhmuradov were sentenced to 25 years in prison for the failed plot to assassinate President Niyazov in 2002, with Orazov and Khanamov sentenced in absentia (RFERL, 2003).
Other actions during Stages 1–3 (dispossession/ overseas assets frozen/ intimidation/ action against associates/ …): Properties confiscated, relatives harassed, banned from entry to his native country (Global voices, 2011).
Legal status (refugee/ asylum seeker/ resident): Orazov has aslyum status in the European Union (Gündogar, 2007)
Current status: Somewhere in the European Union.
Press sources: Gündogar. (2007). How Much is Democracy?. Available: http://gundogar.org/?0220043804000000000000011000000. Last accessed 14th March 2018. Human Rights Watch. (2008). Human Rights Watch Concerns and Recommendations on Turkmenistan. Available: https://www.hrw.org/news/2008/07/06/human-rights-watch-concerns-and-recommendations-turkmenistan. Last accessed 14th March 2018. Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty (RFERL). (2003). Turkmenistan: Court Given Sweeping Powers to Sentence Would-Be Assassins. Available: https://www.rferl.org/a/1101936.html. Last accessed 14th March 2018. Peyrouse, S. (2011). Turkmenistan: Strategies of Power, Dilemmas of Development . New York: Sharpe. p. 79. Global Voices, (2011). 'Turkmen Opposition Considers Election Offer', 12th July 2011. https://iwpr.net/global-voices/turkmen-opposition-considers-election-offer