The European Court of Human Rights will review opposition activist Alexei Navalny's appeal to overturn his house arrest in Russia and plans to ask the Russian government to demonstrate the merits of its case, according to a document posted on Navalny's blog.
In a letter to Navalny's lawyer Olga Mikhailova, the court said it has "decided to give priority" to the opposition activist's appeal, according to a post Monday on his blog on the LiveJournal social network.
The Russian government would be "invited to submit written observations on the admissibility and merits of the case," said the letter, a copy of which was included in the post.
Navalny, a prominent opposition figure and anti-corruption blogger, has been under house arrest since February in connection with a fraud investigation against him.
His lawyer Vadim Kobzev has accused investigators of putting pressure on Navalny through a recent early morning search of his apartment.
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