New demonstrations were held in the capital of Russia’s republic of Bashkortostan on Jan. 19 to protest the jailing of a popular local rights activist. The protests first erupted on Jan. 17 after the authorities sentenced activist Fail Alsynov to four years in prison on charges of “inciting ethnic hatred,” which he denies. Bashkortostan is a republic of Russia located near the Ural Mountains, close to the border with Kazakhstan. Ethnic Russians make up around 38% of the population, followed by the Bashkirs and Tatars, both of whom are Turkic people with their own language. According to the ind…