Russian Police Clash With Protesters After Activist Jailed

Russian police in riot gear fired tear gas and stun grenades to violently break up a large protest in the central Bashkortostan region after a local activist was sentenced to four years in prison.

The clash with demonstrators came after several thousand people massed outside a courthouse in the town of Baymak to protest the jailing of Fail Alsynov on a charge of inciting hatred over a speech he made in April last year, local independent media reported. That speech concerned a plan to mine for gold in the majority-Muslim republic with the use of migrant workers.