What Comes Next After European Rights Court’s Call to Release Navalny? Feb. 18, 2021 Experts say Moscow could be forced to pay more damages or even be suspended from the Council of Europe if it refuses to release Navalny. Dmitry Serebryakov / TASS Russia is likely to ignore the European rights court’s demand for the immediate release of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny, legal experts said as Moscow categorically rejected the calls. Navalny, 44, appealed to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) for his release on Jan. 20, days after his arrest at a Moscow airport. The Strasbourg-based court said Wednesday it had upheld that request, which was motivated by claims that Navalny’s life was in danger if he remained in custody, and told Moscow to release the Kremlin critic "with immediate effect."