Kasparov Jailed for 5 Days
By MANSUR MIROVALEV – 2 hours ago
MOSCOW (AP) — Former chess champion Garry Kasparov was convicted of leading an opposition protest and sentenced to five days in jail by a Moscow court Saturday.
Kasparov and dozens of other demonstrators were detained hours earlier after riot police clashed with Kremlin opponents following a protest rally that drew several thousand people.
The former chess champion was forced to the ground and beaten, his assistant Marina Litvinovich said in a telephone interview from outside the police station where Kasparov was held.
“What you’ve heard is all lies,” Kasparov said after the sentence was read. “The testimony is contradictory. There was not a single word of truth.”
Two riot police testified in court that they had been given direct orders before the rally to arrest Kasparov, one of President Vladimir Putin’s harshest critics. One of the policemen acknowledged that the two reports he had filed were contradictory.
Kasparov was charged with organizing an unsanctioned procession “of at least 1,500 people directed against President Vladimir Putin,” of chanting anti-government slogans and of resisting arrest.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.
MOSCOW (AP) — Riot police beat and detained opposition leader Garry Kasparov Saturday as they took dozens of protesters into custody at a rally against President Vladimir Putin, his assistant said.
The former chess champion was forced to the ground and beaten, his assistant Marina Litvinovich said in a telephone interview from outside the police station where Kasparov was held.
He was later taken to a city court, where he was charged with organizing an unsanctioned protest and resisting arrest. The court proceedings were continuing Saturday evening and it was unclear whether Kasparov would be released.
“What we see today is the implementation of Putin’s plan,” Kasparov told journalists in the courtroom. “Putin’s plan” is what the dominant pro-Kremlin party is calling its platform in the current parliamentary campaign.
Police also detained Eduard Limonov, leader of the National Bolshevik Party, who has been Kasparov’s closest partner in a broad opposition coalition.
Kasparov, one of Putin’s harshest critics, and other opposition politicians have come under growing pressure before Dec. 2 parliamentary elections.
Here is the full AP story.
I think he wants some attention. It’s not smart to go against Putin, the greatest Russian President ever.
I wish sloan would get arrested.
He is. He’s a convicted felon.
“I think he wants some attention. It’s not smart to go against Putin, the greatest Russian President ever.”
Only if you like starving and standing in bread lines just like the good old days of the Soviet Union. Remembrm the world didn’t respect Soviet Russia. It was figuring out how to starve it to death without nuking the rest of the world in the process. Now Russia is playing a dangerous game of chess by giving Iran and NOrth Korea nuclear technology. Clearly this is a bad move as the West holds all of the nuclear Queens. Checkmate and Russia is dead.
Trouble is, the West doesn’t hold all the nuclear Queens. If only.
Checkmate and we’re all dead.
Something absolutely must be done to stop Iran getting these things.
Putin is being thoroughly irresponsible.
If Israel and Iran have a go at each other, we’re all dead.
Putin may be autocrat. You may say that there is no democracy in Russia (I don’t quite agree but this is a different issue).
What you CANNOT say is that they are starving… The Russian economy has greatly improved since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the years of early capitalism (Yieltsin’s times).
All economic figures show this, and even the west does not argue that this IS FACT.
Also, Putin may be undemocratic, BUT has nothing else in common with Soviets and COmmunists. Only the fact that he wants Russia to play some role in inernational politics, but this is exactly what all west (europe, US) is also doing..
So the only, possibly valid critism you can have, is about being autocrat and non-democratic… All the rest, is non-sense (dear “mikhail gorbechov”.. who by the way, recently said that he supports Putin in the current Russian scene).
And about people “starving” in communist countries… Here is what UN says about Cuba, despite the US sanctions.. Compare this with any other third world country and you know how “horrible” communism is for undeveloped countries…
http://www.abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=3830097
An average salary of a Russian citizen has increased to $540 per month in August 2007, from $65 per month in August 1999. People can hardly survive, majority have no money to feed their families.
Was this covered in “How Chess Imitates LIfe”? What chapter is it in? Anyone know?
Thanks
He should be lucky Polonium is not used on him….
Did Vladimir Putin say “check” first?
Susan, why are you posting all these lies?
“Anonymous said…
Susan, why are you posting all these lies?”
Why are you an idiot?
Kasparov is not egocentric. He is fighting for what he believes in. His selfless actions have enlightened the world on the dangers of leaving Putin in power. At least 80 % of these anons who say things like “greatest russian president ever” and call Kasparov things like “idiot” which noone can believe are probably Putin’s paid propangandists.