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Pluto
Joined: 19 Dec 2006
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 Posted: Sat Nov 24, 2007 6:24 pm Post subject: The challenges of Garry Kasparov |
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071124/ap_on_re_eu/russia_protest_march_3
AFP reports:
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MOSCOW - 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.
Determined to see Putin's party win an overwhelming victory in the elections, the Kremlin has shown little tolerance for any parties or politicians that challenge its rule.
"We should overcome the fear that the regime uses to sustain itself," Kasparov told the crowd. "For the Putin regime, our country is just a source of enrichment."
Kasparov's coalition, which has welcomed nationalist leftists as well as democrats and Soviet-era dissidents, has little public support. Its ranks have expanded in recent weeks, though, as more mainstream politicians have been squeezed out of the political process.
Riot police surrounded the rally on Academician Sakharov Prospect, a street not far from the center of Moscow. They moved in after the rally had ended and about 150 of the protesters, mainly Limonov's young activists, began to march toward the Central Elections Commission.
Police pushed protesters into three police buses. Before he was himself surrounded by police, Kasparov estimated that dozens had been detained.
Kasparov had not joined the young protesters who had broken away from the crowd. He was detained after walking over to see what had happened to them.
Police have violently broken up several so-called Dissenters Marches in the past year, beating demonstrators and bystanders with truncheons and dragging many off to police stations.
The city gave the organizers permission to hold the rally but forbid them to march to the Central Elections Commission.
The protest was joined by several prominent politicians who had distanced themselves from Kasparov's opposition coalition in the past.
"The feeling of disgust and protest has made us come here," said Vladimir Ryzhkov, a veteran independent parliament deputy who has been denied an opportunity to run for re-election under new election rules.
Also Saturday, police said three Moscow television journalists and a human rights activist heading to cover an opposition rally in the southern republic of Ingushetia were attacked by armed, masked men.
Five men in masks and camouflage burst into their hotel overnight, beat them and abandoned them in a field, said the activist, Oleg Orlov.
The four then made their way to a local police station, said Orlov, a member of the respected human rights group Memorial.
All four remained in police custody Saturday morning.
REN TV anchor Marianna Maximovskaya was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying police were refusing to free the journalists and activist, insisting that they provide testimony against their attackers.
The rally in Nazran, the main city in Ingushetia, was dispersed by riot police, and at least three people were detained.
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Associated Press Writer Zurab Markhiyev contributed to this story from Nazran, Russia.
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It's no secret that Russia has taken a disastrous turn in its coming of age. With more than 100,000 casualties stemming from the Chechnya War and many rights being taken away everyday in Russia, it's not looking good. Indeed, the oil and media industries have been nationalized under Putin's leadership. Now Putin seeks to consolidate political control over the country. I don�t know much more about the situation but I would love to hear further comments.
Though there is a silver lining. Russia's free market had lead to a growing middle class and expanded opportunities. While many people attribute their higher standard of living to Putin, I believe a growing middle class, a more free market and expanded middle class will prevent Putin's party's power from being absolute. It is, sadly, hard to judge right now but it's my belief that free markets conquer all.
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igotthisguitar
Joined: 08 Apr 2003
Location: South Korea (Permanent Vacation)
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| Posted: Sat Nov 24, 2007 6:45 pm Post subject: |
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Kasparov Jailed After Anti-Putin Protest
By MANSUR MIROVALEV, Associated Press Writer
MOSCOW - Russian authorities arrested former world chess champion Garry Kasparov on Saturday and sentenced him to five days in prison after he helped lead a protest against President Vladimir Putin that ended in clashes with police.
Kasparov, one of President Vladimir Putin's harshest critics, was charged with organizing an unsanctioned procession of at least 1,500 people against Putin, chanting anti-government slogans and resisting arrest, court documents said. His assistant said he was beaten during the demonstration.
At the hastily organized trial, two police testified that they had been ordered before the rally to arrest Kasparov.
"What you read is the fruit of a fantasy dictated on orders from above," Kasparov told the court.
The violence came amid an election campaign in which some opposition political groups have been sidelined by new election rules or have complained of being hobbled by official harassment.
The Kremlin has mounted a major campaign to orchestrate a crushing victory for Putin's United Russia party in Dec. 2 parliamentary "elections" � perhaps to ensure that Putin can continue to rule Russia even after he steps down as president in May.
The constitution prevents him from serving three consecutive terms.
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/russia_protest_march
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