Navalny's detention: Ukraine may challenge Russia's powers at PACE

"Our delegation will use all possible tools provided by the regulations for further steps to hold urgent debates and challenge the powers of the Russian Federation, based, among other things, on these events," head of the permanent delegation of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to the PACE Maria Mezentseva wrote on Facebook, commenting on detention of Navalny at Moscow's airport on January 17.

Mezentseva reminded that Navalny was to speak and participate online at a meeting of the PACE Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights on January 19.

"Given the recent events (his detention in Moscow, further stay in a pre-trial detention center, as well as a court hearing scheduled for January 29), he is unlikely to participate [in the PACE Committee meeting]," the head of the Ukrainian delegation to the Assembly noted.

She added that the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg ordered Russia to pay Navalny more than EUR 22,000, ruling that the Russian government had violated a number of articles of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Alexei Navalny was detained at passport control of Moscow's Sheremetyevo International Airport on January 17 after returning from Germany where he had been undergoing treatment for poisoning. The plane of the Pobeda airline, with Russian opposition politician and his wife on board, landed at Sheremetyevo airport instead of the scheduled arrival at Vnukovo airport.

Earlier it was reported that Navalny might be detained upon arrival by the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia and the Investigative Committee. One week ago, the Federal Penitentiary Service asked the court to revoke Navalny's probation in the Yves Rocher case and replace it with a real prison term.

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