Kasparov became a laureate of the German prize for media freedom

Russian oppositionist living in exile, former world chess champion Garry Kasparov became the laureate of the German prize for media freedom. This is reported by Deutsche Welle with reference to the awarding media group Weimer Media Group.

As stated in the message, the award is “dedicated to the courageous democratic opposition in Russia”, and it will be presented to Kasparov “for all people who defend the peaceful, free and democratic future of Russia, often risking their lives.” Jury calls him “one of the most prominent activists of the Russian opposition, who risks his life in the fight for peace and democracy.”

Garry Kasparov in the 2000s was one of the leaders of the opposition coalition “Other Russia”, then participated in a number of other opposition projects, including the Opposition Coordination Council. In 2012, he left Russia. He often appears in the international media with sharp criticism of Vladimir Putin and the Russian authorities. One of the founders of the Free Russia Forum, which holds sessions in Vilnius, and recently in Riga.

As noted by DW, the Media Freedom Award honors public figures who are particularly committed to free expression of opinion, public interaction, political dialogue and democracy. Among its laureates was ex-president of the USSR Mikhail Gorbachev.

In 2022, the prize was awarded to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, the leader of the Belarusian opposition Svetlana Tykhanouskaya and the Russian journalist Marina Ovsyannikova, who staged an anti-war protest on the air of Channel One. After a wave of criticism of Ovsyannikova, however, the prize was not awarded.