Residents of the town of Ishmurzino took matters into their own hands and elected a new head and mayor during a public rally, without notifying the authorities. After the local administration complained to the police the prosecutor's office initiated an investigation into the matter. This was reported by mkset.ru on May 4.
In April, about one thousand residents of the Baymak district gathered for a rally to protest against gold mining companies. The rally was organized due to the companies' encroachment on the people's grazing land. Claiming that the local authorities couldn’t be trusted anymore the people chose to re-elect the mayor and appoint activist Rashida Faizullina as the new head of Ishmurzino. However, the former head, Fanil Tutmanov, called this decision illegal.
Tutmanov also commented on the election process, stating that he had never witnessed anyone being elected on the street in Russia. According to him, the election process should follow specific rules and regulations to ensure fairness.
The rally organizers reported that the village administration complained to the police, leading to an investigation by the prosecutor's office and the Investigative Committee. The police were interviewing people to gather more information about the rally.
On April 28th, a rally against gold mining companies took place in the Baymak district, drawing a crowd of approximately one thousand residents. The demonstrators expressed their opposition to the development of new quarries for gold mining in two villages and voted against it. The residents fear that the mining operations will interfere with their farming needs, leaving them without grazing land for their cattle. The authorities have been selling the land for development, adding to the people's concerns.
The activists made a petition to Alexander Bastrykin, Head of the Investigative Committee. They accused the gold mining companies of causing environmental damage to the villages and pastures. They claimed that the companies were responsible for washing out the fertile soil, using fresh water uncontrollably, and conducting barbarous gold extraction activities.
