Just reviving this thread to provide an update.
I finally got a reply to my request for a transfer.
They won't unlock the domain within [censored] days of a monetary transaction.
That's [censored] months, folks.
At least they're not requiring photocopies of my passport, but the form they sent me requires me to [censored] them from any [censored]... something I'm not too keen to do.
Oh, and the bottom of their email tells me I'm prohibited from showing anyone else the form. So I'll do what they say and won't post it here
It's not a nice feeling to be trapped like this
Edit: Since these people are holding my domain hostage, and they could possibly send a lawyer after me for posting about this, I have censored the details, and you can fill in the blanks.