MOSCOW, July 25 (RAPSI) – Opposition leader Alexei Navalny has filed a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights against the Moscow City Court decision ordering him to pay 500,000 rubles ($14,250) to Civil Society Development Foundation leader Konstantin Kostin for defamation, Vedomosti newspaper wrote on Friday.

In December 2013, Kostin, the leader of the Civil Society Development Foundation, an NGO involved in political research, filed a lawsuit against Navalny, claiming that the article published on Navalny’s blog on September 26 contained false information.

The article was about MRD, a Montenegrin company. Navalny is believed to be the beneficiary of MRD, which he has denied. Navalny said his signature in the MRD registration documents was forged and alleged that Kostin could be involved in the forgery.

Kostin demanded refutation of the published statements and sought RUB 3 million ($85,520) in compensation. In late February, the Lyublinsky District Court of Moscow ruled for the claimant in part and ordered Navalny to pay 100,000 rubles (approximately $2,800). Kostin filed an appeal demanding that the compensation be increased.

The Moscow City Court increased the compensation to 500,000 rubles ($14,250).

“Navalny believes that the court infringed on his right to the freedom of opinion and expression,” the newspaper writes, citing Navalny’s complaint.

“The infringement was not stipulated by law and has not been proved necessary in a democratic society. [Navalny] writes that the fines imposed on him are not commensurate with the need to protect a business reputation.”

Alexei Navalny is an opposition politician and public leader and head of the Party of Progress. He ran in the 2013 mayoral election in Moscow and writes one of the most popular sociopolitical blogs, which was put on the list of prohibited sources after allegedly encouraging people to participate in unauthorized public events.

Navalny was sentenced to five years in prison for embezzlement in the Kirovles case and was also implicated in several other criminal cases.

Currently, he is under house arrest in an embezzlement case at Yves Rocher Vostok, the company’s East Europe subsidiary that sued Alexei Navalny and his brother for fraud and money laundering.

Navalny has denied all charges, claiming they are politically motivated.