Council of Europe's commissioner to discuss Razvozzhayev case in Moscow

The Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights, Nils Muižnieks, will discuss the Razvozzhayev case with Russian officials during his visit to Moscow, Ekho Moskvy cites opposition leader Boris Nemtsov as saying.

The charges against Razvozzhayev came just over a week after a pro-Kremlin NTV channel aired what it said was secretly-filmed footage of  Razvozzhayev, Left Front leader Sergei Udaltsov and Left Front activist Konstantin Lebedev meeting leading Georgian politician Givi Targamadze in the Belarusian capital Minsk to discuss plans to seize power in cities across Russia, including the Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad.

All three men have been charged and Lebedev was also taken into custody last week. Udaltsov, a fiery shaven-headed leftist who has led protests against the almost 13-year-rule of Vladimir Putin, was released on a pledge not to leave Moscow.

The Razvozzhayev case attracted international attention after he announced through media that he was kidnapped in Minsk before applying for UN protection and then tortured.