Former world chess champion Garry Kasparov has been arrested along with other opposition leaders after leading protests against current Russian president Vladimir Putin. Kasparov, a prominent critic of Putin, founded the United Civil Front and named the Other Russia umbrella of opposition parties after retiring from chess.
The protest began peacefully, after a legal rally held by Kasparov and the other opposition leaders to protest what they see as unfair election practices including the barring of Other Russia candidates from running in the upcoming election. After the initial rally the demonstrators marched to the offices of the election commission.
Kasparov said that the government's response showed that the "the only language they can use with their own people is the language of violence, truncheons and riot police."
The ruling party United Russia has broad popular support and the state-controlled media have paid little attention to the opposition parties.
Others arrested included Maria Gaidar, daughter of former prime minister Yegor Gaidar and human-rights activist Lev Ponomaryov. - Source: WikiNews
DDNEWS On Kasparov's Arrest
Opposition leader and chess legend Garry Kasparov has been arrested on Saturday after scuffling with riot police during a protest a week ahead of legislative elections.
Kasparov and one of his bodyguards were grabbed by riot police and forced into a police bus which then drove them away from the scene where hundreds of opposition activists were in a tense standoff with security forces.
"Freedom! Freedom!" supporters shouted as the bus drove off in central Moscow, the news agency journalists said.
The arrest came after activists from the radical left-wing National Bolshevik party, a member of The Other Russia opposition coalition led by Kasparov, broke through police lines and marched down a main Moscow avenue.
They were quickly joined by activists and leaders from other opposition groups who headed toward the offices of the Central Election Commission where they wanted to deliver a petition protesting the fairness of the upcoming vote.
About half a dozen other activists were also arrested at the same location.
Further the news agency said a total of around 20 people were detained.
In a statement ahead of Saturday's march, The Other Russia acknowledged that Moscow municipal authorities had not given permission for the planned march but said the group planned to go ahead with it anyway to protest the election.
The petition would assert that the 2nd December elections to the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, "are neither free nor fair," the statement said. - Source: DDNEWS
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