New Protests, And Arrests, Over Jail Term For Activist in Bashkortostan

Hundreds of people rallied on January 19 in Ufa, the capital of Russia's Bashkortostan region, in support of Fail Alsynov, an activist who was sentenced to four years in prison. The former leader of a now-banned Bashkir cultural group, Alsynov was jailed for inciting racial hatred, a charge his supporters say is politically motivated. Riot police detained several people at the latest rally in Alsynov's defense.