MOSCOW, April 6 (RIA Novosti) - The protests of the opposition in Bashkortostan, a republic in Russia's Volga Federal District, have gone national. Protesters will stage a rally in Moscow April 7 to demand the dismissal of the republic's president, Murtaza Rakhimov, and that the federal authorities intervene in the situation, Gazeta.ru reports.

Until now, local residents had preferred to settle accounts with regional leaders in administrative capitals.

About 150 protesters will board a chartered Boeing bound for Moscow early on April 7. Selected activists from nine Russian political parties and representatives of about 30 public organizations will head toward Lubyanka Square, where a monument to the victims of Soviet political repressions is located. They will stand there from 11.00 a.m. and until 6.00 p.m. holding posters and demanding Rakhimov's resignation.

The site for the protest is no coincidence. The rally will take place under the slogan: "Bashkortostan is a political Gulag." The republic's incumbent authorities are guilty of comprehensive violations of human rights and freedoms, the rally's organizers said. The protesters will submit a petition calling for Rakhimov's resignation to the presidential administration after the rally. A total of 117,000 signatures have already been collected. Moreover, "orange" protesters, who chose the color because of its post-Ukraine significance, have already reached an agreement to talk with some State Duma deputies. Representatives from the Communist, Liberal Democratic and Homeland factions are expected to support the rally.

Businessman Ramil Bignov, who was recently placed in charge of the "coordinating council" of the united opposition in Bashkortostan, has organized the march. Bignov has ample political experience, including at the republican and federal levels. He was a State Duma deputy until December 1999. Moreover, Bignov is very wealthy and has donated sizeable sums to the struggle against Rakhimov.

Ufa is to host a large rally April 16, where opposition members will report on the Moscow trip. From May 1, a permanent picket will be organized near the republic's administration.

Source: RIA Novosti