Celebrated opposition figure and ex-chess champion Garry Kasparov was released from jail Thursday after serving five days for his role in protest marches ahead of Russia's parliamentary elections.

"His arrest is representative of the violence to normal human rights occurring in Russia today," Kasparov's spokeswoman Lyudmilla Mamina told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

"He was let out on time, in accordance with the law, but five days is a very long sentence for his activities," Mamina underscored.

Kasparov, who was driven directly home by police, was greeted by fellow opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, head of the liberal Union of Right Forces party, radio station Ekho Moskvy reported Wednesday.

Nemstov told reporters that Russia under Putin was moving toward a totalitarian regime akin to that of Alexander Lukashenko's Belarus, which has been called the last dictatorship in Europe.

Kasparov, who heads the opposition coalition The Other Russia, was arrested for leading a so-called Dissenters' March in central Moscow on Sunday. City Hall had given permission for a rally but had barred demonstrators from marching.

"Sunday's protest was just the easiest excuse," Mamina of Kasparov's arrest, which was by no means the former chess champion first.

"The authorities arrested him on Sunday to keep him from attending the planned meeting in St Petersburg, and to keep him from voicing any critical statements in the tensest period before the elections," Mamina said.

The United States and the European Union on Monday criticized the "aggressive tactics" and "heavy-handed action" by Russian authorities against marchers.

Dozens of activists were arrested during the thousands-strong demonstration held in protest of the lack of political opposition to pro-Kremlin parties in Russia's parliamentary vote.

The Other Russia coalition is not officially registered as a party, and is barred from participating in the December 2 elections.

Opposition members picketing outside the jail holding Kasparov were also detained Wednesday along with reporters from Ekho Moskvy, business newspaper Kommersant and several Russian web publications.

Activists had taken turns from the morning holding a single picket in protest of the fourth day of Kasparov's detention. Under Russian law anything more than a single picket constitutes an unauthorized protest.