Navalny judgment contravenes Russia’s international human rights obligations

“Today’s judgment ordering Alexei Navalny’s imprisonment in a correctional colony for three and a half years defies all credibility and contravenes Russia’s international human rights obligations”, said the Commissioner.

“Mr Navalny should not have been arrested and tried in the first place because the criminal conviction that has served as a basis for today’s custodial sentence had already been considered arbitrary and manifestly unreasonable by the European Court of Human Rights.

With this decision, the Russian authorities not only further exacerbate human rights violations as already established by the European Court of Human Rights, they also send a signal undermining the protection of the rights of all Russian citizens and affecting the integrity of the European system of human rights protection.

The Russian authorities should restore a climate of respect for human rights based on the international standards by which the Russian Federation is bound.”