Financial Times – 20 June 2006

Reaction to comment by Garry Kasparov “Investors must not sell out Russian liberties”

Sir,

Chess is a game in which there are two opponents, and everything is black and white. Politics and international affairs are different, but this important distinction is unfortunately ignored by Gary Kasparov in his comment published in FT on 20 June.

He is wrong in several important respects.

He claims that I support President Putin but he is wrong. I am neither for nor against President Putin or any other head of state or government in Europe. As the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, I am for democracy, human rights and the rule of law. I do not get involved in the internal politics of any member state, including the Russian Federation.

Mr Kasparov also says I am in opposition to Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. He is wrong again. I have a close working relationship with both organisations based on the fact that we pursue the same fundamental objectives, even if we do not always see eye to eye on how to achieve them. But we all agree that the Russian membership in the Council of Europe is a good thing because it provides Russian citizens with the opportunity to bring their grievances to the European Court of Human Rights. Those arguing against Russian membership of the Council of Europe would deprive 150 million Russian citizens of the possibility to protect their rights against abuses by their authorities. I respect Mr Kasparov and his commitment to democracy and justice, and I do not understand how he can associate himself with such views.

Terry Davis, Secretary General of the Council of Europe