A mass of protesters gathered in the capital of Russia's Bashkortostan region on Friday despite previous warnings from authorities. Demonstrators rallied together reinforcing their support of a jailed activist whose case has highlighted deep-seated grievances within one of Russia's many ethnic minorities.
Russian riot police clashed with protesters in Baymak following the sentencing of activist Fayil Alsynov that many considered to be unfair.
Fail Alsynov, 37, is regarded as a hero by many of the region's ethnic Bashkir people for campaigning on behalf of their language, culture, and rights. He led successful protests in 2020 to prevent mining operations on a hill that local people consider sacred, and has spoken out over the war in Ukraine, saying young Bashkir men in Russia's army are being "thrown into the fire" of a foreign conflict, said Reuters.
Several thousand people protested on Wednesday outside a court in the small town of Baymak where Alsynov-- whom Russian authorities have placed on a list of terrorists and extremists, was sentenced to four years in a penal colony for instigating ethnic hatred. Alsynov has denied the charge, and his supporters have voiced that the disciplinary action was delayed revenge for his successful environmental campaign that forced authorities to rethink their 2020 plans for mining a mountain that is considered sacred to the Bashkir people.
He is said to have called Central Asians and Caucasians, who make up most of Russia's migrant population, "black people", considered a derogatory term in Russian. But he insists the words he used in the Bashkir language mean "poor people" and were mistranslated into Russian.
In correspondence with BBC, he told journalists as he was led away: "I do not accept guilt. I have always fought for justice, for my people, for my republic, so we will see each other again...
"The people came to support me, and I do not know what is going to happen. We did not want this. A huge thank you to all who came to support me" continued Alsynov.
According to certain accounts, the demonstration, lasting for multiple days, reportedly drew a crowd of several thousand individuals enduring temperatures as low as -20°C, according to BBC. Authorities have opened an investigation against some of those demonstrating under "mass rioting" charges, which carry a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.
"I advise you to come to your senses and not ruin your life," Bashkortostan's Interior Minister Rafail Divayev warned protesters.
Local journalist Artur Asafyev told BBC that the authorities were trying to make an example of both the protesters and Alsynov. The sentence passed on the defendant was tougher than that requested by the prosecutor.
"They knew that a harsh sentence would make people angry," he said.
Mr. Asafyev added people in Bashkortostan were already used to protests about environmental issues and had come from miles around to this remote town. Tear gas was reportedly fired and protesters were seen throwing snowballs at ranks of police behind riot shields.
There have been long-running claims that a disproportionately high number of ethnic minorities in Russia are being sent to fight in Ukraine.
Alsynov intends to appeal against the verdict.
