The Moscow Regional Court on Thursday rejected an appeal against detention by Alexei Navalny, a leader of the Russian opposition and well-known critic of President Vladimir Putin’s government. Navalny had been detained by the authorities for 30 days on January 17 for parole violations. The arrest took place immediately upon his return to the country from Germany for the first time after being poisoned with a military-grade nerve agent in August last year.

Navalny, who appeared in court through video-conferencing, told the presiding judge that charges against him are “absurd” and aimed at intimidating the opposition. “We’ll never allow … these people to seize and steal our country. Yes, brute force is on your side now. You can … put me in handcuffs … that will not continue forever.”

Navalny’s lawyers have raised concerns over the lack of transparency and rushed nature of his trial. He had also been denied access to his defense lawyers until the trial on Thursday when the judge gave him five minutes to speak privately with his lawyer via video link. While Navalny has said that he expected the court to keep him in jail, his lawyers have said that they will appeal the ruling.

He could face years in jail for violating parole terms from a 2014 conviction for embezzlement and money laundering, one that has been rejected as “arbitrary and unfair” by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). He is also being investigated for fraud by the Investigative Committee of Russia, which he has dismissed as politically motivated.

Though many opposition supporters had been pre-emptively detained to prevent nationwide rallies, thousands are already protesting against the Putin leadership and police crackdown upon Navalny and his allies. US President Joe Biden has also raised concerns over Russia’s conduct towards opposition members in his first phone call with Putin.