"Rural Russia Protests: Support for Jailed Activist Grows"
Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Russia's Bashkortostan to protest the imprisonment of activist Fayil Alsynov, who was sentenced to four years on charges of "inciting interethnic hatred." Riot police arrested several protesters, and the Interior Ministry launched criminal cases over earlier protests, warning participants of potential lengthy prison sentences. The Kremlin downplayed the protests, while Alsynov, a prominent Bashkir activist, has been advocating for the rights of the indigenous Bashkir people and denies the charges against him.
