Protests Erupt in Russia's Bashkortostan Region After Activist's Sentencing
Riot police fired tear gas, flash grenades, and used batons to disperse demonstrators in Russia’s Bashkortostan region after a local activist was sentenced to four years in prison. The protests have become some of the most significant in Russia since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly two years ago.
Activist's Sentencing and Protests
Riot police fired tear gas, flash grenades, and used batons to disperse demonstrators in Russia’s Bashkortostan region after a local activist was sentenced on Wednesday to four years in prison.
Protesters were heard to cry "shame" at police officers as they tried to disperse the crowds with tear gas.
Videos showed supporters of Fail Alsynov clashing with police near the court where he had been convicted of inciting ethnic hatred, according to Russian state media outlet RIA Novosti. Bashkortostan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs called the demonstrations an 'unauthorized rally' and said police have begun investigating 'mass unrest,' in a post on Telegram.
Some 20 people have been detained by police, according to OVD-Info, an independent Russian protest monitoring group. CNN cannot independently verify this number, but Russia has routinely carried out mass arrests at protests. Thousands of demonstrators gathered outside a public building in the remote town of Baymak, with some waving the blue, white and green flag of Bashkortostan region, which neighbors Kazakhstan.
Protesters were heard to cry 'shame' at police officers as they tried to disperse the crowds with tear gas. Protesters could be heard chanting 'Freedom,' in a video posted on public Telegram channels and shared by OVD-Info. In another, protesters were seen throwing snowballs at police holding riot shields. Chants of 'shame' could be heard after police fired tear gas. Some social media accounts are reporting that internet connection was restricted in the area of the gathering.
Activist's Background and Significance of Protests
Alsynov spoke at a rally in spring 2023 against the mining of a mountain considered to be sacred to the Bashkir people, a Turkic ethnic group concentrated in Bashkortostan and closely related to the Tatars.
The protests in Bashkortostan have become some of the most significant in Russia since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly two years ago. OVD-Info said Alsynov 'faces a four-year sentence for speaking out against the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine.'
Government Response and Public Outcry
Bashkortostan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs called the demonstrations an 'unauthorized rally' and said police have begun investigating 'mass unrest,' in a post on Telegram. Some social media accounts are reporting that internet connection was restricted in the area of the gathering.
The protests in Bashkortostan have become some of the most significant in Russia since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly two years ago. Thousands of demonstrators gathered outside a public building in the remote town of Baymak, with some waving the blue, white and green flag of Bashkortostan region, which neighbors Kazakhstan.
Riot police fired tear gas, flash grenades, and used batons to disperse demonstrators in Russia’s Bashkortostan region after a local activist was sentenced to four years in prison.
