Kasparov has been one of Vladimir Putin’s harshest critics. He is charged with organizing an unsanctioned protest of at least over a thousand people against Vladimir Putin. They chanted anti-government slogans while resisting arrest. Kasparov’s assistant also said that he was beaten during the demonstration.
The trial of Kasparov was organized in a hastily manner. Two of the officers testified that they were ordered to arrest Kasparov before the rally.
“What you read is the fruit of a fantasy dictated on orders from above,” Kasparov said to the court in response to the testimony of the officers in court.
This has come across the election campaign with a few opposition political groups being affected by new election rules. Western nations have criticized that freedoms have been curtailed during Putin’s time in office. But Putin fired back accusing them of meddling in the politics of Russia.
The demonstration had attracted thousands of people. In a telephone interview, his assistant Marina Litvinovich said that he was forced to the ground and beaten.
Kasparov further addressed the court: “I didn’t hear any orders from police, unless you count the strike of a police club as an order.”
His group consists of radicals, Democrats, and dissidents from the Soviet-era. While they have gained a lot of media coverage, they have received little support from the public.