Russian police have cracked down on a large protest in the far eastern region of Bashkortostan after an activist was jailed.
The protest broke out after a court in the town of Baymak sentenced Indigenous rights activist Fail Alsynov to four years in a penal colony on Wednesday. About 3,000 supporters were involved in the protest.
Alsynov was convicted of inciting ethnic hatred during a speech delivered in April at a protest opposing plans for the development of a gold mine in the region about 1,380km (860 miles) east of Moscow in the Ural Mountains.
The regional governor said the activist had made racist comments about people from Central Asia and the Caucasus.
Following the sentencing, Alsynov’s supporters clashed with police, who fired tear gas and detained dozens, local media reports said.
The protesters said the verdict was delayed revenge for his role in protests years prior when activists successfully blocked plans to mine for soda on a hill considered sacred by locals.
“Huge thanks to everyone who came to support me. I will never forget this. I don’t admit my guilt. I always fought for justice, for my people, for my republic,” Alsynov told a reporter from the online media outlet RusNews.
The activist claims that his words during the speech last year were mistranslated from the Bashkir language.
Dozens of the protestors have been arrested by the police to put down the large demonstration, a rarity amid Russia’s war in Ukraine.
———————————
Explore the world of impactful news with CitiNewsroom on WhatsApp!
Click on the link to join the Citi Newsroom channel for curated, meaningful stories tailored just for YOU: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaCYzPRAYlUPudDDe53x
No spam, just the stories that truly matter! 
#StayInformed #CitiNewsroom #CNRDigital
