The European Court of Human Rights announced Monday that it would hear a case brought by opposition leaders Alexei Navalny and Ilya Yashin in connection to their jailing in December following a post-election protest, a statement on the court's official website said.
The case will examine the circumstances of their arrest and jailing for leading an unsanctioned march through central Moscow on Dec. 5 protesting alleged falsifications in the State Duma elections. They were convicted of disobeying police commands and jailed for 15 days.
The court will look at the possible violations of six articles of the European Convention on Human Rights regarding their jailing — including whether they were given food and water in the first six hours after their arrest and what kind of lighting and ventilation their cells had.
Yashin told Gazeta.ru on Monday that he expects a decision in the case in a year's time, an unusually short period for the court. Decisions handed down by the court this month in cases involving Russian citizens were submitted no later than 2006.
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