Kasparov loses protest jail appeal
A judge ruled today former world chess champion Garry Kasparov must serve the five-day jail sentence he received after leading a protest against President Vladimir Putin that ended in clashes with police.
Kasparov was convicted of organising an unofficial procession, chanting anti-government slogans and resisting arrest after Saturday’s protest, held eight days before parliamentary elections.
In an appeal today he argued that he had followed police orders and was illegally detained. He also cited contradictory testimony from police officers, who told the court in Saturday’s hastily organised trial that they had been ordered before the rally to arrest Kasparov, one of Mr Putin’s fiercest critics.
Dozens were detained in Saturday’s protest, which drew several thousand people.
In another opposition protest in St. Petersburg yesterday two leaders of the Union of Right Forces, a pro-business liberal party, were briefly detained.
