Former chess world world champion and No 1 Garry Kasparov had been listed as a “foreign agent” by Russia’s Ministry of Justice in 2022, and had an arrest warrant issued against him in absentia two years later. On Monday, the Grandmaster had a fresh petition filed against him at a court in Moscow.
A fresh petition has been registered against Garry Kasparov in a Russian court, with the chess legend currently facing absentia arrest for partaking in “terrorist activities”. According to a report on Russian news agency TASS, the petition was filed by investigating bodies at the Zamoskvoretsky District Court in Moscow on Monday.
“The material against the accused Kasparov is registered by the court. He was charged under Part 2 of Article. 205.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (public justification of terrorism using information and telecommunication networks, including the Internet),” the court was quoted by the agency as saying.
Why Kasparov faces arrest in his native country
Former chess world champion and world No 1 Kasparov, rated among the greatest players of all time, had been
listed as a ‘foreign agent’ by the country’s Ministry of Justice in May 2022. And in April 2024, the Grandmaster had been added to the country’s list of “terrorists and extremists”, with authorities issuing an arrest warrant in absentia for “terrorist activities”.
Also Read |
How Garry Kasparov went from being chess champion to ‘terrorist’ in Russia
Kasparov, however, had laughed off the arrest in absentia, describing it as the “best way I’ve ever been arrested”.
“In absentia is definitely the best way I’ve ever been arrested! Good company, as well. I’m sure we’re all equally honored that Putin’s terror state is spending time on this that would otherwise go persecuting and murdering,” Kasparov had written in a post on X in April last year.
Kasparov is known for being a critic of Vladimir Putin, who has had two separate terms as President and has held office since 2012, and had later co-founded Free Russia Forum with Ivan Tyutrin, a politician belonging to the Russian opposition. He had previously been arrested at a protest outside a Moscow court in 2012 and was reportedly subjected to police brutality during his detention.
Kasparov left Russia in 2013, a year after his arrest, fearing further persecution from Kremlin, and has lived in New York City since while holding a Croatian passport.
End of Article
