The European Court of Human Rights has rejected a request filed by the Russian government to refer to the Grand Chamber a case it had previously lost against former Yukos security chief Alexei Pichugin, who was sentenced in 2005 to 20 years in prison.

Pichugin alleged to the ECHR that his right to liberty and security had been violated as he was arrested without reasonable suspicion, that his detention was delayed unreasonably, and that his appeals against this were not dealt with in a timely fashion.

He further charged that in violation of his right to a fair trial, he was not granted a public hearing, was not afforded the right to effectively challenge witness statements, and was not granted a fair jury trial in accordance with domestic law.

Last October, the court found that his rights to liberty and security and his right to a fair trial had been violated, and ordered Russia to pay €9,500.

Then in January, Russia requested that the case be referred to the Grand Chamber for reconsideration.

The ECHR included the case in a list of rejected Grand Chamber requests released Tuesday.  The decision made by the Grand Chamber is considered final.