• Russian riot police fired tear gas and batons at protesters.
• Protesters reportedly hurled snowballs near the Baymak court.
• Alsynov accused of insulting migrants amid gold mining protest

On Wednesday in Bashkortostan, Russian riot police fired tear gas and struck protesters with batons following the sentencing of rights activist Fail Alsynov to four years in a penal colony. Social media footage depicted clashes between supporters of Alsynov and police, with some protesters resorting to throwing snowballs near the Baymak court.

Alsynov, convicted of inciting ethnic hatred, vehemently denies the charges. Large-scale protests are exceedingly rare in Russia due to the high risk of arrest. Reports indicate a demonstration with a few thousand participants lasting several days in frigid temperatures around -20°C, resulting in several injuries.

Protesters voiced support for Alsynov, with some attempting to block the courthouse entrance after the verdict. Riot police behind shields observed demonstrators hurling tear gas and snowballs.

The activist stands accused of insulting migrants during a protest against gold mining plans. Supporters argue it’s retribution for his efforts to prevent soda mining in a culturally significant area. Alsynov allegedly referred to Central Asians and Caucasians, comprising a significant portion of Russia’s migrant population, as “black people,” considered derogatory in Russian. He contends that his Bashkir language remarks meant “poor people” and were mistranslated.

Alsynov, previously critical of military mobilization in the region as “genocide” against the Bashkir people, plans to appeal. Authorities persistently claim that they send a disproportionate number of ethnic minorities in Russia to fight in Ukraine.

A leader of Bashkort, a grassroots movement banned as extremist in 2020, Alsynov aimed to preserve the ethnic identity of the Bashkirs, a Turkic group closely linked to the Tatars inhabiting the southern Ural Mountains.

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