In Russia, the tiny republic of Bashkortostan expresses its anger after the conviction of a nationalist and environmental activist.

Unprecedented protests have been taking place for several days in the republic of Bashkortostan, more than 1,000 kilometers from Moscow, home to a large Muslim and Turkish-speaking community, a largely male component of which has been mobilized to fight after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Feb 24, 2022. Such a popular movement is extremely rare in Russia, where the slightest public criticism is punishable by imprisonment.

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On the morning of Friday, January 19, braving riot police and bitter cold (−20 °C), about a thousand people peacefully marched in the republic’s capital, Ufa, to demand the release of 37-year-old environmental activist File Alsinov. , was sentenced two days earlier to four years in prison “Incitement to racial hatred”.

Salavat-Yulev gathered on the main square, demonstrators marched, danced and sang songs in the Bashkir language. Several of them were caught by the police and taken away. Images of the rally were widely distributed by independent news sites Sota Vision.

This is the third demonstration organized in Bashkortostan this week in support of File Alsinov, a figure highly respected among the Bashkirs, a leading figure in the local nationalist and environmental movement.

“What’s the point of living if you can’t express yourself freely?”

On Monday January 15, then Wednesday January 17, about 5,000 people gathered in the small town of Baymak, 17,000 inhabitants in the south of the republic, where the activist was tried behind closed doors. “What’s the point of living if you can’t express yourself freely?”

he declared before his appearance, according to an audio recording broadcast on Radio Svoboda (Radio Liberty in Russian).

The clash took place shortly after the verdict was announced on Wednesday. The police brutally dispersed the crowd engaged in pelting snow and the rioters did whatever else they could on the police. Some demonstrators were injured, others were arrested. A press release from the municipal court said nine of those arrested were sentenced to eight to fifteen days in jail.

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Ethnically mixed (Russians 37.5%, Bashkirs 31.5%, Tatars 24.2%), the republic is driven by two main demands, the protection of the environment and respect for the rights of indigenous peoples.

In 2020, activists and ordinary citizens protested a mining project on Mount Kauchtau, considered a sacred site by the Bashkirs. The company operating the site, Bashkir Soda Company (BSK), is linked to billionaires Boris and Arkady Rotenberg, childhood friends of President Vladimir Putin. For coordinating demonstrations, File Alsinov then found himself in the Kremlin’s crosshairs. In the same year, his cultural organization Bachcourt was banned.

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