17 April 2026
by OVD-Info
Source: OVD-Info
Two years have now passed since January 2024, when a popular demonstration in Baimak in south Russia was violently broken up by the authorities. Dozens of people attended a protest on a square in the city of Baimak to show their support for environmental activist Fail Alsynov (whose trial was being held in a courthouse on the square – Trans.) and ended up on remand. Many were charges with assaulting police officers. ‘Violence’ was understood as any action of resistance to the authorities by the unarmed protesters, such as throwing snowball towards officers or holding their arms up when arrested.
Since January 2024, the case has come to encompass at least 81 people. Sentences for involvement in the protests have been very severe. 57 have been imprisoned for periods ranging from three years to seven years and six months. Three have been sentenced to compulsory work. Another 10 people are viewed as ringleaders – they remain on remand and could face up to 20 years’ imprisonment if convicted. One of them, Rifat Dautov, died in unclear circumstances following his arrest – presumably after being tortured. Another, Minniyar Baiguskarov, was beaten during interrogation and committed suicide.
OVD-Info is defending 20 of these people. Six are awaiting the outcomes of appeals – the final stage of criminal procedure where a sentence can be commuted. We are gathering 820,000 roubles to support the appeal cases for these six.
Who are they?
Aitugan Kitikov
He was 25 at the time of his arrest. He worked as a fitter and part-time beekeeper and pyrographer. Shortly before being arrested he had married, bought a car and selected a house in the suburbs together with his wife.
He was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment in a penal colony. The prosecution accused him of assaulting police officers by, to quote the indictment, throwing ‘large lumps of ice’ at them.
Insaf Islamov
A Bashkortostan native, he had moved with his family to Murmansk in Russia’s far north to work as a bus driver. He spent his free time with his wife and children, taking his four-year-old daughter and eight-year-old son to ice hockey and playing with them there. He often made trips back to Bashkortostan to help his parents with agricultural work.
He was sentenced to four and a half years in a penal colony. The prosecution accused him of assaulting police officers by throwing ‘two missiles visually similar to wooden logs’ at them. Islamov denies these accusations.
Rayat Davletbaev
Another Bashkortostan native working in the family beekeeping business. He raised livestock, went out hunting along rivers with his family and participated in environmental work.
He was sentenced to four and a half years in a penal colony. The prosecution accused him of beating a police officer with a rubber truncheon. Rayat claims that baton had been passed through the crowd and he an officer had come into contact with it by chance in the press of people.
Sagit Yulmukhametov
He worked in a village boiler house. He has a disability and had recently undergone a heart operation. His wife and young son remain free.
He was sentenced to four and a half years in a penal colony. His indictment says he threw ‘lumps of ice’ at the police. The prosecution considered this to constitute a charge of assaulting police.
Two others requested anonymity – we can’t tell their stories.
In solidarity,
The OVD-Info Team
Translated by Oscar Seecharan
