The Leninsky District Court of Izhevsk has been handed over the case materials against six people persecuted in the wake of the people's gathering in Baimak. OVD-Info found the case file on the court's website.
The defendants in the case - Fatih Akhmetshin, Vilyur Karachurin, Aitugan Malabayev, Azat Mirzin, Danis Azyanbayev and Vener Yaubasarov - are charged with participating in mass riots (Part 2 of Article 212 of the Criminal Code) and using non-dangerous violence against a security officer (Part 1 of Article 318 of the Criminal Code).
All six people are in pretrial detention.
- Fail Alsynov is a Bashkir activist and former leader of the Bashkort movement, who was sentenced to four years in prison for speaking at a public gathering. Three major protests were held in January in support of Alsynov: on January 15 and 17 in Baimak , and on January 19 in Ufa . Immediately after the protest on January 17, a series of administrative cases followed, involving several hundred people, and a criminal case was opened for mass riots: at least 69 defendants were sent to pretrial detention. At least one of them, Dima Davletkildina, was severely beaten . Rifat Dautov, detained as part of the criminal case, died after being detained; his relatives were not told the cause of death or given a report. Minniyar Baiguskarov, who participated in the protests, committed suicide due to pressure from security forces. OVD-Info reported here about how security forces persecute residents of Bashkortostan .
- A criminal case was opened against Fail Alsynov in October 2023 due to a speech at an April gathering of residents of the Baimak district against gold miners, which he delivered 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 region's natural resources. He used the expression "kara khalyk", which translates as "black people" or "rabble". The criminal case was opened after a statement by the head of Bashkortostan, Radiy Khabirov. Later, Alsynov, contacting him, insisted that the experts had translated his words incorrectly, and he has nothing against "representatives of other peoples" if they "respect our customs and traditions". Before the verdict, he was under a written undertaking not to leave.