Chess champ Kasparov summoned for ‘propagating extremism’
AP
April 18, 2007 – 10:50AM
Russian security officials summoned opposition leader Garry Kasparov for questioning on suspicion that he had publicly propagated extremism, his aide said.
Investigators from the Federal Security Service, the KGB’s main successor agency, want to determine whether a recent interview by Kasparov and his group’s newsletter urging Russians to take part in unauthorised anti-government protests, contained calls for extremist activity, said aide Marina Litvinovich.
The demonstrations took place in Moscow and St Petersburg over the weekend and were harshly quashed by the authorities, with police beating some protesters and detaining hundreds.
Here is the full story.
They seem to have funny notions of what constitutes extremism in the Kremlin. Civil disobedience and peaceful protest would only be considered extremist by an extremist government I think. In this case the government seems extremely authoritarian and contempuous or ignorant about the principles of democracy.
This is a serious situation.
Kasparov must prepare himself for being imprisoned. Such is the life of those who protest for freedom.
Ironically, imprisioning Kasparov might actually backfire on the Kremlin by brining more attention to Kasparov’s cause. Kasparov is fairly well known amongst the general population- and I don’t think many people would like to see him in Jail.
Brad Hoehne
Well I just hope that he stays alive. Russian politics is very dangerous.
If he is imprisoned or harmed it will definitely damage Putin’s cause.
It’s just weird! Protests to goverments is seen as “extremism” and people who have other beliefs are seen as “terrorists”
Politics is weird!
“protesing for freedom” versus “inciting extremism” are two different ball games. If Kasparov indeed encourages extremism, then he deserves to be jailed. Extremist or not, it is not the new government demamded by Kasparov that holds promise, it is the act of allowing people to chose a new government that is important. This is the only reason I support Kasparov. IMO, a government led by Kasparov would be terrible.
one of the “new friends” of Mr. Kasparov is Eduard Limonov …
doe’s anyone here around – high voting for Kasparov’s motifs and down voting for Putin – know this guy?
here is an wikipedia link …
http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
National-Bolshevik_Party
(please put the link into ONE line)
frankly spoken: Kasparov lost his credibility, at least to me, when he was first seen with the “poet” Eduard Limonov, who replaced the swastika by an obscure rotated hammer and sickle symbol for his racist and nationalist and fascist ideas…
just my two pence …
Kasparov was even bad (not succesful) chess politician. In real politics he is just a small pawn in other hands.
If Putin can imprison Mikhail Borisovich Khodorkovsky then he certainly can imprison Garry Kimovich Kasparov.
I think Mssr. Kasparov should have gotten out of politics when he was hit over the head with a chess board.
I think the average chess rating of Siberia will be going up soon.
Locking up Kasparov will only be good for Putin and the regime.
By locking up high profile types like Kasparov it will show the rest of the no-name rabble they are not exempt and are likely to get much much worse.
Putin has a good strategy here. It is tried and true for almost a century of Russian politics.
I hope they let Garry Kasparov keep his membership to the ICC, he will need it where he is going.
I wonder if Kasparov will get the same support from the chess comunity as Fischer got when he was in jail in Japan.
This is shame for Russia. This is proof that Russia is the same Empire of Evil, which Roni defined in 80s.
Nothing must surprise us when we read about toilet cables, demonstrations, arrests or any strange news from Russia. Putin is a KGB product. In Russia everything is possible.
I`m not surprice from news frim Russia. I just wonder where is ACP? Is this organisation exists? Or ACP is active only when must explain how Danailov gives a hint to Topa? Where is FIDE? Where is independent FIDE? Where are grosses, which so actively sign subscriptions to protect Vladimir Kramnik, from evil Danailov? Where they are?