Sayyid, Nasrullo
Who, Why and How exiled: Sayyid fled Uzbekistan for Kyrgyzstan in 2005 after “being arrested for allegedly distributing a protest song about the Andijan massacre” (Kendzior, 2014, pp. 223-224). He is a former member of Uzbekistan parliament who was ousted in 1992 for his affiliation with the Erk opposition party (Kendzior, 2014, p. 224). He lived in Kyrgyzstan until 2007 before seeking asylum in a third country and moving to Canada in 2007 (Kendzior, 2014, p. 233).
Stage 1 details (accusations/ charges/ Interpol notice/ extradition requests): In June 2007, Uzbek internal affairs officers arrived in Bishkek to speak with Kyrgyz migration officers about the extradition of Sayyid, prompting Sayyid to seek refuge in a third country (Kendzior, p. 233). 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).
Legal status (refugee/ asylum seeker/ resident): Sayyid has asylum status in Canada (Kendzior, 2014, p. 224).
Current status: Living in exile in Canada. He flew from Edmonton to Tashkent via Istanbul but was deported back to Istanbul after being barred from entering Uzbekistan (The Tashkent Times, 2019).
Press sources: Kendzior, S. (2014). Chapter 9: Reclaiming Ma'naviyat: Morality, Criminality and Dissident Politics in Uzbekistan . In: Reeves, M., Rasanayagam, J. and Beyer, J. Ethnographies of the State in Central Asia: Performing Politics. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. pp. 223-233. The Tashkent Times (2019). Opposition leader Nasrullo Sayidov not allowed to enter Uzbekistan. Available: http://tashkenttimes.uz/national/3845-opposition-leader-nasrullo-sayidov-not-allowed-to-enter-uzbekistan. Last accessed 19th January 2020.