"Feels like I'm imprisoned." An Uzbek man shares his experience of having his passport taken away in Kazakhstan.

However, instead of heading directly to his homeland, after entering Kazakhstan, Ildar approached the Kazakh border guards to ask how he should proceed without the "exit" stamp in his passport. Following this, the Uzbek was detained right at the checkpoint. His passport was confiscated (explained as a seizure until the court) and he was accused of illegally crossing the border. Yet, a court hearing regarding his case has not yet taken place.

“I’ve been wandering around for so long. I can’t officially find a job, as I have no documents, and I can’t register anywhere either,” Bichurkin explains. “I’m just in a suspended state. It feels as if I’m in captivity.”

According to Ildar, the investigation into his case has made no progress in the last six months. During this time, he has been living in Kazakhstan in dire conditions and without documents: a friend is helping him pay for a small room in a dormitory.

“My sister helps, my friend helps me. I reach out to them, but I can’t ask them every time,” Bichurkin shares. “Sometimes I have to sit hungry, and that happens.”

At the same time, the Uzbek says he was offered a job in Pavlodar, where they promised to pay him six dollars a day. However, he declined the offer.

“Everyone knows I can’t officially work here, yet the employees still suggest: go to work! — Ildar is puzzled. — I don’t know, maybe I’m not understanding something? Essentially, it seems like they are suggesting breaking the law themselves? I need to get a work permit, as far as I know. I don’t have any of that.”

Investigator Adilet Salimov, who, according to Ildar, offered him illegal work, denies discussing this with the Uzbek. In a phone conversation with “Current Time,” Salimov explained the prolonged investigation by stating that the Kazakh border service is waiting for a response from the Russian side. He doesn’t know how long this might take—months or years. However, he added that until then, Bichurkin's passport will not be returned.

“This document is recognized as material evidence and is part of the criminal case,” he stated.

When asked what the Uzbek should do in Kazakhstan without documents, the investigator referred to “non-disclosure of the ongoing investigation.” “Why should I tell you anything?” he stated.

“Current Time” also sent an official request to the border service department of Pavlodar region and asked for answers to these questions. As of the time of publication, no response had been received from the government agency.

This is Ildar's first winter in Astana. He says he cannot get used to the local frosts.

“It’s simply driving me to a state where I start having thoughts about doing something to myself. I’ve just been pushed to this point,” he notes.