STRASBOURG, France (AP) — Russia is awaiting a European court ruling on whether it violated the rights of opposition leader Alexei Navalny when arresting him on repeated occasions.

Navalny is expected to appear at the European Court of Human Rights in the French city of Strasbourg to hear the ruling Thursday, after a last-minute legal problem delayed his arrival.

The court ruled last year that seven arrests were unlawful and ordered Russia to pay 63,000 euros ($67,000) in compensation.

The Russian government and Navalny appealed, and the case went to the court's Grand Chamber, which issues its final, binding ruling later.

Navalny, a long-time critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has faced fraud charges widely viewed as political retribution for investigating corruption and leading mass anti-government protests.