TODAY, NOON: Former World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov to speak on human rights and press freedom in Russia, Belarus

Garry Kasparov, the former World Chess Champion turned writer and political activist, will deliver a live address on the state of human rights and press freedom in his native Russia, as well as the related crackdown in Belarus, at a National Press Club Virtual Newsmaker on Friday, Oct. 9, at noon.

To download a calendar reminder or join the livestream on Oct. 9, click here.

This one-hour program will stream live on the Club’s website and YouTube Channel, and is accessible to both the media and members of the general public free of charge. Viewers can send their questions for Kasparov in advance or during the live program via email to [email protected].

Kasparov, 57, came to international fame in 1985 when, at the age of 22, he became the youngest World Chess Champion in history. Since retiring from chess, Kasparov has turned to politics and human rights, becoming an outspoken critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin. He is chairman of the Human Rights Foundation.

"The free world, including its media, has a role to play both in how it engages with and covers the un-free world and in how its leaders and citizens can push back against the rising authoritarian trend,” Kasparov said. “With media now global and instantaneous, hostile dictatorships can now exploit social media and other technologies built in the free world to repress their own citizens as well as spread misinformation abroad. U.S. leadership on these matters has all but vanished and power cannot abide a vacuum."