Current:Home > ScamsHundreds protest and clash with police in a Russian region after an activist is sentenced to prison-InfoLens
Hundreds protest and clash with police in a Russian region after an activist is sentenced to prison
View Date:2024-12-23 16:54:53
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Hundreds of protesters clashed with police in the Russian region of Bashkortostan on Wednesday in a rare display of public outrage after a court convicted a local activist and sentenced him to prison, media reports and rights groups said.
The unrest — one of the largest reported demonstrations since the war in Ukraine began in 2022 — erupted amid the trial this week of Fail Alsynov in the town of Baymak, about 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) southeast of Moscow, in the southern Ural Mountains.
Several thousand people had gathered outside the courthouse to support Alsynov, who was convicted of inciting hatred and sentenced to four years in prison, according to OVD-Info, a Russian rights group that tracks political arrests and offers legal aid.
Police used tear gas and batons to disperse the crowd, which chanted “Fail, we stand with you!” along with “Freedom!” and “Disgrace!” They demanded the ouster of Bashkortostan’s governor and hurled snowballs at officers, OVD-Info and local media reported. Dozens of people were detained and injured, OVD-Info said.
Alsynov was a leader of a group that advocated for preserving the Bashkir language and culture, and protested limestone and gold mining operations in the region. The group, called Bashkort, was outlawed as extremist in 2020.
He faced charges after a speech last year in an unsanctioned rally against gold mining, Russian independent news outlet Mediazona reported.
Bashkortostan Gov. Radiy Khabirov reportedly personally filed a complaint against Alsynov, alleging the speech denigrated other nationalities and fomented anti-government actions.
Alsynov maintained his innocence, telling the RusNews outlet after the sentencing that he has “always fought for justice, for my people, for my republic.”
Hundreds — and possibly thousands — of Alsynov’s supporters initially gathered Monday in front of the courthouse when closing arguments were delivered in the case. Russian independent news outlet Agentstvo reported Monday that it was one of the biggest protests in Russia since the invasion of Ukraine, which has brought about more restrictive laws and an intensified crackdown on dissent.
The demonstrators returned to the courthouse Wednesday for the sentencing. Video posted by Russian media showed crowds facing off with riot police in a snowy rural landscape.
Russia’s top law enforcement agency, the Investigative Committee, said it opened a criminal case on the charges of fomenting mass riots and assaulting police officers.
Several social media pages that reported on the protests or served as a platform for the local community have been blocked, according to Meduza, a popular Russian independent news outlet.
The protests come just two months ahead of a presidential election that is widely expected to give Vladimir Putin his fifth term in office.
Putin, 71, is able to run again after 24 years in power due to a constitutional reform he orchestrated in 2020, which reset presidential term limits. With the opposition largely suppressed and independent media banned or restricted, his reelection is all but assured.
There was no immediate comment on the protests from the Kremlin.
Putin is running as an independent candidate and not on a party ticket, and is required to collect at least 300,000 signatures in support of his candidacy. His campaign office reported Wednesday that 2.5 million signatures have already been collected.
veryGood! (28752)
Related
- Georgia House Republicans stick with leadership team for the next two years
- New FBI-validated Lahaina wildfire missing list has 385 names
- Corgis parade outside Buckingham Palace in remembrance of Queen Elizabeth II: See the photos
- Driver survives 100-foot plunge off cliff, 5 days trapped in truck
- Jana Duggar Reveals She's Adjusting to City Life Amid Move Away From Farm
- Nightengale's Notebook: 20 burning questions entering MLB's stretch run
- Who is the NFL's highest-paid cornerback? A look at the 32 top salaries for CBs in 2023.
- West Indian American Day Parade steps off with steel bands, colorful costumes, stilt walkers
- Joey Graziadei Details Why Kelsey Anderson Took a Break From Social Media
- Full transcript of Face the Nation, September 3, 2023
Ranking
- After years of unrest, Commanders have reinvented their culture and shattered expectations
- Aerosmith singer and Maui homeowner Steven Tyler urges tourists to return to the island
- South Korea’s Yoon to call for strong international response to North’s nukes at ASEAN, G20 summits
- A driver crashed into a Denny’s near Houston, injuring 23 people
- A pair of Trump officials have defended family separation and ramped-up deportations
- Some businesses in Vermont's flood-wracked capital city reopen
- Remains of British climber who went missing 52 years ago found in the Swiss Alps
- On the Road celebrates Labor Day with 85-year-old hospital cleaner working her dream job
Recommendation
-
The results are in: Peanut the Squirrel did not have rabies, county official says
-
Alabama drops sales tax on groceries to 3%
-
Aerosmith is in top form at Peace Out tour kickoff, showcasing hits and brotherhood
-
A driver crashed into a Denny’s near Houston, injuring 23 people
-
Bridgerton's Luke Newton Details His Physical Transformation for Season 3's Leading Role
-
Endangered red wolves need space to stay wild. But there’s another predator in the way — humans
-
Every Time Nick Lachey and Vanessa Lachey Dropped a Candid Confession
-
Some businesses in Vermont's flood-wracked capital city reopen