Former Russian Chess Champion Arrested

In Russia, police detained opposition leader Garry Kasparov on Saturday. It comes after he took part in an anti-Kremlin protest eight days before Russia's parliamentary elections. Here's more.

STORY:

A Moscow court charged Garry Kasparov with public order offenses. The former world chess champion was sentenced to five days in confinement on Saturday.

Kasparov accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of destroying personal liberties.

[Garry Kasparov, Leader Other Russia]:

"Everything you have just heard is an utter lie as the testimonies of the witnesses do not coincide at all."

Fights broke out between police and protesters on Saturday, when around 3,000 activists tried to march to the central election commission's headquarters.

And the next day police blocked another opposition protest in St Petersburg, detaining around 200 people, including another opposition party leader Boris Nemtsov. A dozen activists were also beaten by police as they were leaving the offices of the liberal Yabloko party.

Kasparov's opposition group 'Other Russia,' is a remarkable mixture of Kremlin opponents, from liberal free market thinkers to anarchists. They object to the Dec. 2 parliamentary elections, as being unfairly weighted towards the pro-Putin party 'United Russia.'

Putin will step down as Russian president next year after his second term, but wishes to continue playing a role in Russian politics.