Chess champion Kasparov cleared of Pussy Riot complaint

Former world chess title holder twisted Kremlin critic Kasparov was cleared on Friday of taking part in an illegal complaint over the confidence of punk band Pussy Riot in a rare Moscow court ruling in his favour.

Mr. Kasparov, and resistance leader, was among dozens of activists chosen out of a mass and under arrest outside the court where the Pussy Riot trial ended in two-year jail sentences for three female band members on August 17.

The 49-year-old was language to journalists when police grab him and approved him to a waiting van. Four witnesses long-established that are what happened during the court hearings, the Interfax news agency reported.

A court on Friday said police witnesses had not proven that he had taken part in an unofficial protest and acquitted him. I think it’s a very important day, a historical day, because for the first time in our courts, the corroboration of a policeman was not documented just because he wears a uniform, Mr. Kasparov said after the conclusion.

Opposition leaders and activists have regularly been found guilty of charges linked to protests against President Vladimir Putin, who has been in power since 2000 and began a fresh six-year presidential term in May.

A law rushed through assembly amid a series of street protests drastically increased fines for violations of rules governing public gatherings, part of what Putin’s opponents say is a concerted effort to suppress dissent.

Mr. Kasparov could still face illegal charges based on a police officer’s allegation that the resistance leader bit him while he was being detained. Police have sent documents about that allegation to federal investigators for review, Interfax said.