Criminal case against Bashkir oppositionist

On July 20, 2005, the Bashkir prosecutor's office transferred to court a criminal case against a well-known opposition figure in the republic, the head of the Bashkir National Congress, Airat Dilmukhametov. The opposition insists that this is an act of political revenge by Murtaza Rakhimov against his opponent.

Charges were brought under Parts 1 and 2 of Art. 280 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("public calls for extremist activities"). Dilmukhametov’s statements at rallies of the Bashkir opposition held on March 26 in Ufa and April 7 in Moscow were considered calls. In particular, he turned to the head of the republic, Murtaza Rakhimov, demanding his early resignation. True, Dilmukhametov added to this at a rally in Ufa, “if Rakhimov does not leave in an amicable way,” the crowd will break into his administration building and carry out a “people’s liberation revolution.” At a rally on April 7 in Moscow, Dilmukhametov criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of “covering up the Rakhimov regime.”

The chairman of the coordination headquarters of the opposition of Bashkiria, Ramil Bignov, said that “we can well say that this is an act of political revenge on the part of President Murtaza Rakhimov.”

“Dilmukhametov has always spoken out quite sharply against this particular person, and now I can absolutely clearly state: the Bashkir opposition will not turn a blind eye to this case, we will constantly picket the courthouse and hope for a fair completion of this process,” Bignov said.

Sources

• Barabanov I. Conspiracy against the foundations of the state system of the Republic of Bashkortostan // Gazeta.Ru. 2005. July 20.