Local officials plan to organize rallies to support Radiy Khabirov, the Kremlin-backed leader of Russia's Republic of Bashkortostan, after the sentencing of an outspoken critic of his government to four years in prison sparked massive protests that led to violent clashes with police.
Several Telegram news channels quoted sources close to the government on January 23 as saying that employees of state institutions and entities, including hospitals and schools, will be forced to take part in the rallies, scheduled for January 26, to support Khabirov and condemn Fail Alsynov, who was sentenced last week for a speech criticizing a government decision over a mine.
The situation around Alsynov's trial first got tense on January 15 when some 5,000 people gathered in front of a court building in the town of Baimak, where the verdict and sentence were expected to be announced. But the court postponed the announcement by two days to allow security forces to prepare for any reaction to the outcome of the controversial trial.
On January 17, thousands of supporters gathered again, and after Alsynov was sentenced clashes broke out as police, using batons, tear gas, and stun grenades, forced the protesters to leave. Bashkortostan officials said later that 40 people, including 22 law enforcement officers, were injured in the violence.
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Clashes At Protest In Russia's Bashkortostan Region As Activist Jailed
Dozens of protesters were detained, and the Investigative Committee said those taken into custody in the January 17 unrest will face criminal charges for organizing and participating in mass unrest -- the first on such a scale in Russia since Moscow launched its ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine almost two years ago -- and using violence against law enforcement.
The charge against Alsynov, which was initiated by Khabirov, stemmed from a speech he gave at a rally in April 2023 in the village of Ishmurzino where he criticized the local government’s plans to start mining gold near the village, saying the operation would bring in migrant laborers.
Investigators said Alsynov's speech "negatively assessed people in the Caucasus and Central Asia, humiliating their human dignity." Alsynov and his supporters have rejected the charge as politically motivated.
On January 22, police searched the home of Rashida Faizullina in Ishmurzino, who organized the April 2023 rally against the mining plans. Another activist's house in Ishmurzino was searched a day earlier.
At least six activists have been charged with taking part in mass unrest and/or attacking law enforcement officers and sent to pretrial detention. Another 50 people have faced administrative charges, mostly for taking part in unsanctioned public events, and handed jail terms of up to 15 days.
Meanwhile, police continue their efforts to identify residents of Baimak who took part in the rallies supporting Alsynov.
Alsynov's lawyer Ilnur Suyundukov, on January 22, published a resolution written by Baimak district court Judge Evina Tagirova, issued after she pronounced Alsynov's sentence on January 17, saying that Alsynov must be transferred out of Bashkortostan to the city of Magnitogorsk in the Chelyabinsk region "due to the emergency situation" that took place after Alsynov's sentencing.