In Bashkortostan, the Dyurtyulinsky District Court extended until June 17 the term of detention in a pre-trial detention center for Aitugan Kitikov, who was persecuted due to protests in support of the convicted Bashkir activist Fail Alsynov. This was reported by his lawyer from OVD-Info, Ruslan Ignatyev.
Kitikov was detained on January 24. Two days later, he was charged in a criminal case with participation in mass riots (Part 2 of Article 212 of the Criminal Code) and sent into custody.
- On January 17, the day of the sentencing of Bashkir activist and ex-leader of the Bashkort movement Fail Alsynov, residents of Bashkortostan who sympathized with the activist gathered at the court. After the verdict was announced, security forces began to detain protesters, and clashes began. Administrative cases and a criminal case for mass riots were opened against the participants of the gathering, which became the reason for numerous searches, detentions and arrests. Protests in support of the convicted person and persecution because of them continued. We spoke in detail about the pressure on the residents of the region in this text , and published a report about the events on the day of the verdict.
- A criminal case against Fail Alsynov was opened in October 2023 due to an April speech at a gathering of residents of the Baymak district against gold miners, which he conducted entirely in the Bashkir language. In it, the activist criticized the mobilization in the republic and the lack of access of local residents to the natural resources of the region. Alsynov himself later explained that the security forces “didn’t like” his statement about “migrants who come to the republic and are engaged here, including in illegal mining.” Before the sentencing, he was under recognizance not to leave the place.