Hundreds of people protested in the Russian region of Bashkortostan against the arrest of an opposition activist. Fewer and fewer people dare to express their dissatisfaction on the streets
Following protests in Russia in support of an opposition figure, six participants in the demonstration were sentenced to several days in prison. A court in Ufa, the capital of Bashkortostan, said on Thursday that they took part in an unauthorized event that led to the obstruction of vital transport infrastructure. Five of them were sentenced to ten days in prison, the sixth was sentenced to 13 days in prison.
They were detained on January 15 during a demonstration in support of an opposition figure in the small town of Baimak. Fail Alsynov, who harshly criticized Russia's attack on Ukraine, would be put on trial there. Two days later, the court sentenced Alsynow to four years in prison for “incitement to hatred.” The environmental activist denied the accusations made against him.
After the verdict, there were new protests and clashes in Baimak between the police and several thousand people who gathered in support of the activist. According to Russian human rights group OWD-Info, protesters were dispersed with tear gas and around 20 people were arrested.
Allegedly foreign mentors
The speaker of the regional parliament, Konstantin Tolkachev, called on the residents of Bashkortostan to “express their opinion within the framework of the law”. He said the protesters were incited by provocations from abroad – a common narrative used by Russian authorities to explain the unrest.
Street protests have become extremely rare in Russia, where any criticism of the leadership can be punished by imprisonment. There were larger protest movements in autumn 2022, when hundreds of thousands of reservists were mobilized to reinforce troops in Ukraine.
Since the beginning of the offensive in Ukraine, Russia has acted very harshly against dissidents. Thousands of people were arrested or fined. (APA/AFP)