Alexei Navalny is the Russian opposition leader, and yesterday he arrived in Strasbourg at the European Court of Human Rights for a hearing into whether Russian authorities violated his rights through numerous arrests. Navalny claims his 2013 conviction for embezzlement was engineered by the Kremlin to keep him from public office.

He spent several months in prison and according to him, he was arrested because the Russian government wants to exclude any opponent to Vladimir Putin.

The 41-year-old politician, who has been barred from standing in the March presidential vote, accuses Russia of violating the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) to which Moscow is a signatory.

Police raided his campaign headquarters in Saint Petersburg this month, one of a series of seizures carried out at his group’s offices. He has called on voters to boycott the vote, which is expected to return Putin for a fourth term, extending his stint in the Kremlin until 2024.

 Déborah Miller

For further information:

Site RFI : http://www.rfi.fr/europe/20180125-russie-navalny-cour-europeenne-droits-homme-cedh

Site de TV5 Monde: http://information.tv5monde.com/en-continu/alexei-navalny-face-l-etat-russe-devant-la-cedh-216248