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We have just received word that Garry Kasparov has been released from
jail and is now at his home, surrounded by reporters, who will produce
a new tsunami of reports in the next hours and days. Kasparov was taken
from his original place of detention to a different police station and
whisked from there to his home in a military car. All this to avoid scenes
by his supporters, who were waiting outside the detention center together
with international media representatives. |
Interview with Karinna Moskalenko
On November 25 Robert Amsterdam had the chance to speak with Kasparov's lawyer
Karinna Moskalenko, who is currently in Strasbourg. Karinna is an exceptionally
brave lawyer, who has faced disbarment proceedings in the past for efforts to
defend human rights in Russia. She revealed details about the arrest and detainment
of Kasparov.
Garry was the only one who was put through a rush trial, while all the others
were postponed until Monday. Olga Mikhailova, the lawyer representing Garry
in these proceedings, told me that it was clear that the judge wanted to postpone
the case like all the others, but after spending just a few minutes in the deliberation
room, he came back out and said that Kasparov’s was of special interest,
and that they would proceed at once. It was though he were following an order.
Garry was being held at Petrovka 38, the infamous headquarters of the Moscow
police, and despite repeated attempts by lawyers seeking to speak with those
that were arrested, they were only allowed into the court at the last minute
as a justification by the authorities. Today, following delays lasting many
hours, Olga was allowed to see Kasparov.
According to my knowledge, Garry was not beaten during his arrest. He was handled
roughly and forcefully placed under arrest by very hostile officers. Since his
admission to custody, we have strictly instructed him not to drink any water
or eat any food they offer him. I also relayed this message to him via his mother,
Klara Kasparova. As we speak, Olga is expecting to gain admission to the facility
to meet with Garry and bring him water. It’s very difficult for someone
to stay in prison for five days without consuming their water and food.
We have spent the night preparing a motion to present to Amnesty International
to have Garry declared a prisoner of conscience. We are also completing our
submission to the European Court on Human Rights, denouncing the government's
aggravation. We hope that the court will give the case priority, because if
the international community does not act to stop what is happening here, no
one will.
Robert Amsterdam on Kasparov's forced hunger strike
Were it not such a serious situation, the jailing of opposition leader and
chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov by the Putin regime would be richly ironic.
For in what other nation are dissidents forced to go on hunger strikes while
the price of bread and milk go through the roof?
Kasparov’s forced hunger strike illustrates a number of severe incongruities
resulting from Russia’s current distorted political reality. Why, for
example, is the state cracking down so hard on candidates and critics who they’ve
already barred from competing in the elections? Why does the president’s
stridency and hostility to the outside world increase to new levels with each
passing day, despite his overwhelming majority in the polls? Why would the president
order a man like Kasparov to be jailed, drawing international media attention,
if he isn’t even expected to capture a small percentage of the vote?
One theory put forward is that Putin wants much more than to just simply win
the vote, but rather win it with a shocking overwhelming majority on such a
scale that he could earn the alleged “political capital” and legitimacy
for the rest of the world to overlook all of his broken rules, democratic dismantling,
and unlawful manipulation. For this reason the government won’t tolerate
even the smallest demonstrations, and are eager to show that if you publicly
disagree with the president, you go to jail.
The question we all have to ask ourselves with respect to this dramatic overreaction
to the opposition is what does Putin know about Russia’s future that we
don’t? Whatever it is, I can’t imagine that it’s good news.
Russian Interior Ministry: March of Dissent participants paid
The agency Trend News reports that Russia’s Interior Ministry claims
to have evidence showing some members of the March of Dissent were
paid for protesting on the weekend. ”In Saint Petersburg three elderly
women approached a group of our officers. They said the organisers promised
to pay them 500 roubles for participating in the rally and 3,000 roubles if
they take part in the clashes. However, they failed to keep their promise. So,
these ladies asked us to find these “swindlers,” as they called
them,” Aleksandr Chekalin from the Interior Ministry said. Russia’s
Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov called the rally a provocation. The Interior Ministry
suspects the rallies are being financed from abroad.
On Monday, the White House and the U.S. State Department expressed concern
over the detentions. “The U.S. is concerned by reports of aggressive tactics
used by Russian authorities against opposition protestors in Moscow and other
cities. We are particularly concerned by the arrests and detentions of leaders
of the opposition, including Garry Kasparov, and call for them to be given proper
access to legal counsel and fair treatment in processing,” said Sean McCormack
from the U.S. State Department.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov called the Western reaction hypocritical.
Peskov said that these statements sharply contrasted with Washington’s
mild criticism when police used tear gas and truncheons to disperse an opposition
rally in Georgia. The spokesman noted around half a thousand were hospitalised
in Tbilisi – while in Russia the scenes were far less dramatic.
Karpov Barred From Seeing Kasparov
Former world chess champion Anatoly Karpov was turned away when he tried to
visit and offer moral support to his old rival, Garry Kasparov, currently in
detention for his role in an anti-Kremlin protest Saturday. Karpov tried to
visit Kasparov on Tuesday, but he was turned back by police, said Kasparov's
spokeswoman, Marina Litvinovich. "Karpov is a member of the Public Chamber
and has the right to visit those detained," Litvinovich said. "All
the same, they would not let him in.
"A person is in trouble. Of course I'm not indifferent to that,"
Karpov told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. "In Russia right now we have,
what, four world chess champions? And, of course, the fate of any one of them
is important to other chess players, both in Russia and abroad. Generally speaking,
I don't share his political views, but that's something different," he
said. "I didn't come here to support him politically."
Amnesty International added its voice Wednesday to others that have already
condemned Kasparov's arrest. "Amnesty International considers [Kasparov]
to be a prisoner of conscience and calls for his immediate release," the
rights group said in a statement titled "Russian Federation: Systemic Repression
on Eve of Elections."
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