Opposition leader blocked from leaving Russia

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny on Tuesday was reportedly barred from leaving the country after he was stopped at the border shortly before a scheduled visit to France for a court hearing at the European Court for Human Rights.

According to The Associated Press, Navalny wrote in a blog post that he was stopped by guards at the border and was told he was barred from leaving Russia due to a ruling by court bailiffs about an unsettled legal matter.

Navalny reportedly he was due to attend a hearing that was expected to rule on whether his numerous detentions in the past were politically motivated. 

{mosads}“Apparently, Putin’s regime thinks (that) not letting me fly to Strasbourg to hear this ruling will change anything,” Navalny said on Twitter early Tuesday.

Navalny later said that the bailiffs ruling was the formal reason for him being barred from leaving the country this week and was reportedly dated Friday and called for $31,000 to be collected from the opposition leader to cover damages stemming from a civil lawsuit against a timber company he lost last year.

However, Navalny said he was not issued any documents or provided with any banking details for him to cover the damages.

The AP notes that Navalny has faced a number of criminal charges in the past that have been widely regarded a as political retribution.