The Syktyvkar city court in Komi arrested in absentia for two months from the moment of extradition chess player Garry Kasparov, ex-State Duma deputy Gennady Gudkov, politician, co-founder of the Russian Action Committee Ivan Tyutrin and former environmental activist Evgenia Chirikova. This was reported by the press service of the court.
All four defendants in the cases participate in the work of the Free Russia Forum. It is likely that charges of organizing or participating in a terrorist community (Article 205.4 of the Criminal Code) are related specifically to participation in this organization. At the same time, the Forum has already been recognized as an “undesirable organization,” that is, participation in it was previously considered illegal by the Russian authorities.
Kasparov and Tyutrin, who are co-founders of the Forum, are charged with an article on organizing an extremist community (Part 1 of Article 205.4 of the Criminal Code). In addition, both are being prosecuted under the article on organizing terrorist activities (Part 4 of Article 205.1 of the Criminal Code) and three counts of justifying or calling for terrorism (Part 2 of Article 205.2 of the Criminal Code).
Gudkov and Chirikova are being investigated for participation in a terrorist community (Part 2 of Article 205.4 of the Criminal Code). Both are also charged with justifying or calling for terrorism (Part 2 of Article 205.2 of the Criminal Code), and Chirikova is also charged with organizing terrorist activities (Part 4 of Article 205.1 of the Criminal Code).
It is not yet known what the charges against him are related to, other than the terrorist community.
Previously, all four people were included in the register of “terrorists and extremists” of Rosfinmonitoring. Tyutrin and Chirikova were added to the list on February 20, Gudkov on February 27, and Kasparov on March 6. The law enforcement agencies did not report the initiation of cases against them at that time.
- The Free Russia Forum is a discussion platform for the Russian opposition, created by politicians Garry Kasparov and Ivan Tyutrin. The first forum was held in Vilnius in March 2016. Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the forum held three anti-war conferences in Vilnius. On February 1, it became known that instead of official Russian officials at the International Security Conference, which is taking place in Munich, the organizers invited the founder of the Free Russia Forum, Garry Kasparov, as well as politician Mikhail Khodorkovsky.
- In February 2023, the Prosecutor General's Office recognized the Free Russia Forum as an “undesirable organization.” The department considered that the forum’s activities pose a threat to the constitutional order and security of the Russian Federation.