OREANDA-NEWS. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg filed the first complaint following the actions in support of Alexei Navalny, held in Russia in January. This was announced on Wednesday, February 10, according to the project «Apology of Protest».

The project's lawyer, Alexey Bushmakov, represents the interests of Alexey Gresko, the coordinator of Alexey Navalny's headquarters in Yekaterinburg, who became the first applicant due to his arrest in connection with the protest action on January 23. The complaint states, that the Russian authorities violated the provisions of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms on freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, the right to a fair trial and the right to appeal against a court decision.

A supporter of Navalny has been sentenced to ten days of administrative arrest on charges of violating the order of organizing the action. On January 20, Gresko posted a video on the YouTube page of Navalny's Yekaterinburg headquarters titled «Yekaterinburg takes to the streets on January 23».

After the rally, the opposition leader was detained. A report on an administrative offense was drawn up against him, which stated that Gresko «carried out agitation and attracted citizens to participate in an unauthorized mass event» by posting a video available for viewing by an indefinite circle of people. In the protocol, Gresko was called the organizer of the action, he insists, that he was not. His defense considers that «the applicant's intent to organize a public event has not been proven, and the agitation expressed in the filmed video does not indicate it's organization».