. >> an opposition activist and former world chess player, gary kasparov, wa sthere. -- was there.hortly afterward, he was arrested along with several other leading opposition members. the band's supporters say the trial was politically motivated and that the verdict was dictated by the kremlin. >> german chancellor angela merkel said today that politically active citizens are not a threat to russia. that is a direct indictment of what many say is the kremlin pose a growing intolerance of political dissent. i spoke with the german government's human rights commissioner, and i asked him for his read on the guilty verdict. >> i believe this is a completely inadequate sentence. these young women should be released. what they have done is covered by freedom of speech. it is their right to express what they have expressed, and they should be out of jail by now. >> this verdict is the latest in a series of harsh rulings against critics of the regime. what does it tell us about the judicial system in russia? >> since president putin is back as president, we see two things happening -- a c