Gennady Gudkov says vote against him is political revenge for his support of anti-Putin demonstrations

guardian.co.uk, Friday 14 September 2012

The Russian parliament has voted to expel a vocal opposition deputy, who said the unprecedented move was a sign of the Kremlin's desire to rid the country of any opposition.

Gennady Gudkov, a former KGB agent, said the vote against him was "political revenge" for his outspoken support of the anti-Putin demonstrations that have swept Moscow since December.

The vote, on the eve of an opposition rally, threatened to inflame tensions. The Duma voted by 291 to 150 to oust Gudkov, a member of the Just Russia party. Putin's United Russia maintains a majority in the Duma.

Pro-Kremlin deputies and federal investigators argued that Gudkov should be stripped of his mandate because he was running a company while serving in the Duma, a common practice. Vladimir Markin, a spokesman for the prosecutor general's investigative committee, said the body would soon decide whether to open a criminal case. If charged and convicted, Gudkov could face up to two years in prison.

During Friday's session of the Duma, Gudkov delivered one of the impassioned speeches for which he has become known. He first addressed members of the Federal Security Service, the main KGB successor agency, and federal investigators, accusing them of turning into the secret police "of a political regime, ready to fulfil any political task handed down to you, even if it's criminal".

He said agents had begun regularly wiretapping, illegally filming and breaking into the emails of those who disagreed with Putin's regime. "Why is our president silent?" he asked. "Does he understand what a dangerous Pandora's box we're opening right here and now? If he understands and is silent, that means he approves, and that means it was agreed with him. This is a very vicious and risky path."

The move against Gudkov is the latest step in a crackdown on Russia's opposition. Last month three members of the punk band Pussy Riot were sentenced to two years in jail. More than a dozen opposition protesters face criminal cases following a rally in May.

"What's happening right now is a farce and it's time to stop it – or we will lead the country to civil clashes, to the suffering of the Russian people," Gudkov said. Shouts of "Judas!" and "Go fuck yourself!" filled the chamber as he finished his speech.

Gudkov, along with another Just Russia member, Ilya Ponomaryov, was the loudest Putin opponent in the Duma. Analysts said he had been targeted because he was seen as more of a traitor considering his security services past. Kremlin supporters praised the move, saying it would serve as a warning to the opposition.

Tens of thousands of people are expected to gather in central Moscow on Saturday for the opposition's first major rally since June.

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