Russian authorities prevented opposition leader from traveling

NEWS DESK

The USA Time Newspaper reported that the leader of the Russian opposition, Alexei Navalny, was arrested at the border on Tuesday and prevented from leaving Russia, where he was about to travel to France to attend a session of the European Court of Human Rights.

Navalny said in his blog on Tuesday that he was due to attend a hearing at the European Court of Human Rights but was stopped by Russian border guards.

According to the newspaper, the hearing in Strasbourg could be a major embarrassment for the Kremlin, which rejects Navalny, who is the most famous opposition figure in Russia.

Navalny's  lawyer Ivan Zdanov on Tuesday published a copy of the ruling that prevented him from traveling and said it was undated and lacked any details.

Navalny has faced many criminal charges in the past that are widely seen as attempts by the Kremlin to marginalize him.

Two separate criminal cases prevented Navalny from traveling in the past, but the ban was lifted last spring when he was forced to leave Spain for urgent medical treatment.

Navalny, whose investigations into official corruption has led to major anti-government protests that have attracted Russians from across the political spectra.

A.H

ANHA