Maykop, Russia (CNN) -- Russian authorities have arrested a prominent community leader from the country's Circassian ethnic minority. The arrest took place on Friday night in the same province where the Winter Olympics are currently being held. The detention of Asker Sokht follows the police roundup on February 7 in the southern city of Nalchik of dozens of Circassian activists who tried to hold a protest denouncing the Winter Olympics. Russian officials could not be reached on Sunday to comment on Sokht's arrest. But the detention of a leader widely perceived as a moderate, who often defended Russian government policy, has sent ripples of alarm through the Circassian community in Russia, which is estimated to number around 800,000.
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Asker Sokht, a leader in Circassian community, was arrested Friday night
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Circassians have protested against Sochi Olympics, held in their ancestral homeland
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They want Russia to acknowledge the connection and a major battle in the area
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Many Circassians accuse 19th-century Russia of genocide against their ancestors
As news of Sokht's arrest spread this weekend, several prominent @placeholder asked CNN not to publish their interviews for fear of punishment at the hands of Russian authorities.