The prison sentences of five defendants in the “Baymak case” have been reduced by one month.

The prison sentences of five defendants in the “Baymak case,” including Saniya Uzyanbayeva, have been reduced by one month. This was reported by Idel.Realii, citing relatives of those convicted.

This decision was made by the Orenburg Regional Court upon appeal.

In April, four defendants in the case, including Uzyanbayeva, were sentenced to five and a half years in a general regime penal colony each. Another defendant received four and a half years in a colony. All five were accused of participating in mass riots (Part 2, Article 212 of the Criminal Code) and of using violence against representatives of the authorities (Part 1, Article 318 of the Criminal Code).

In February, on similar charges, 21-year-old Danis Uzyanbayev, the son of Saniya Uzyanbayeva, was convicted. He was sentenced to four and a half years in a general regime penal colony.

Saniya and Danis Uzyanbayev were detained on 22 January 2024, a few days after the gathering. Both were arrested under protocols for disobeying the police (Part 1, Article 19.3 of the Administrative Offences Code). Saniya received 13 days of arrest, and her son received ten. Soon after, they were taken to Ufa, where the mother and son were charged under a criminal case. Both were then sent to a pre-trial detention centre.

Idel.Realii reported that, according to family acquaintances, the mother and son ended up in the square outside the court, where the gathering was taking place, “purely by chance.” They had come to Baymak, a town in Bashkortostan, to visit relatives and went to a hardware shop next to the court, then decided to see what was happening in the square.

“Security forces used tear gas, and one [police] officer ran up to them and sprayed Saniya in the face with pepper spray. The gas got into her eyes, and she started to cry. Danis, naturally, was outraged and defended his mother. He grabbed a handful of snow and threw it at the officer. At that moment they weren’t detained and were able to leave Baymak,” said one of their acquaintances.

Before her detention, Saniya worked at the Pyaterochka supermarket in Sibay, a small town in Bashkortostan, and was raising her underage daughter alone. Her daughter needs medical treatment and was preparing for surgery. Her son returned home in December 2023 after completing his compulsory military service, and at the start of 2024 was planning to leave for shift work “up north.”

• In January 2024, Bashkir activist and former leader of the Bashkort movement Fail Alsynov was sentenced to four years in a penal colony for his speech at the people’s gathering. Before the verdict and on the day it was announced, three large rallies were held in support of Alsynov: on 15 and 17 January in Baymak, a town in Bashkortostan, and on 19 January in Ufa, the capital city of Bashkortostan.
• After these rallies, mass detentions began. Initially, people were charged with administrative offences, and then the security forces opened a criminal case on mass riots. Over 80 people became defendants in the case. Some reported violence. One of the defendants, Rifat Dautov, died after being detained—his family were not told the reason for his death. Another participant, Minniyar Bayguzkarov, took his own life. OVD-Info is supporting 20 of the defendants and is collecting donations for them.