Court in Russia’s Bashkortostan sentences activist Fail Alsynov to four years in prison, sparking renewed protests

A court in Russia’s Republic of Bashkortostan has sentenced prominent local activist Fail Alsynov to four years in prison on charges of “inciting ethnic hatred,” just two days after the case against him caused approximately 1,000 demonstrators to take to the streets in objection.

The case against Alsynov was based on statements he made during a protest rally in April 2023 in which he used a phrase in the Bashkir language that investigators insist amounts to an ethnic slur but that reportedly carries a meaning closer to “simple folk” in modern usage.

Thousands of people gathered outside the court building in the city of Baymak ahead of Alsynov’s sentencing on Wednesday, according to the independent news site Verstka. The outlet Rusnews reported that police blocked off the road to the court, and people on the ground have claimed that the authorities jammed the city’s Internet connection. After Alsynov’s sentence was announced, police began arresting people.

Alsynov’s sentencing was originally scheduled for January 15 but was postponed for two days in response to Monday’s protest.