Relatives of a man detained following a series of protests this month in Russia's Bashkortostan region said the man has died in custody, according to OVD.info, which monitors repression in Russia. Relatives said Rifat Dautov had not participated in the protests but was detained later by people identifying themselves as riot police. Details of his death are unknown. Thousands of people in the region attended rallies in mid-January in support of activist Fail Alsynov, who was handed a four-year prison term for inciting to "ethnic hatred," a charge he and his supporters say is politically motivated.
