By RIA Novosti,
Moscow : The Moscow City Court upheld on Tuesday a previous court ruling that rejected charges of slander filed by Russian opposition leader Garry Kasparov against a Kremlin-backed youth group.
A Moscow court rejected in mid-April the chess grandmaster’s suit against Nashi (Ours) over leaflets distributed by the group that Kasparov said insulted his honor and dignity, and harmed his business reputation. Kasparov, who sought 30 million rubles ($1.2 million) in compensation, appealed against the ruling.
Leaflets spread by the nationalist youth group Nashi following the December 2 parliamentary elections described Kasparov as “a citizen of the United States” and claimed the Russian opposition had sought “to plunder Russia’s national wealth in the interests of the U.S.”
Kasparov has repeatedly denied that he holds citizenship in any country except Russia, and claimed the rumor had been spread in the state-controlled media as part of a Kremlin smear campaign against the opposition. He also said the smear campaign had been led by Nashi.
On April 17, the court said there was no proof the leaflets had been made and distributed by the youth group. Kasparov’s lawyers argued that a Nashi representative in court had not denied that the group had been behind the leaflets.
The chess grandmaster pulled out from the Russian presidential race last December, saying the authorities had made it impossible for him to run.