UFA, Russia -- A court in the capital of Russia's Bashkortostan Republic, Ufa, has sentenced a Bashkir nationalist leader to 4 1/2 years in jail.
Fanzil Akhmetshin, a leader of the World Bashkir Assembly (Kurultai), a Bashkir cultural organization, was found guilty of drug trafficking.
Akhmetshin was arrested in November 2011 after police said they found opium in his suitcase upon his return from a visit to Somalia.
He has pleaded not guilty.
Akhmetshin's lawyer said his client planned to appeal the court's decision.
Hundreds of Akhmetshin's supporters have staged numerous protests since his arrest.
Fanzil Akhmetshin, a leader of the World Bashkir Assembly (Kurultai), a Bashkir cultural organization, was found guilty of drug trafficking.
Akhmetshin was arrested in November 2011 after police said they found opium in his suitcase upon his return from a visit to Somalia.
He has pleaded not guilty.
Akhmetshin's lawyer said his client planned to appeal the court's decision.
Hundreds of Akhmetshin's supporters have staged numerous protests since his arrest.