The Ukrainian opposition is set to file a lawsuit against the country’s president Victor Yanukovych to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), an opposition leader said on Sunday.

The opposition has earlier filed a lawsuit to the country’s Supreme Administrative Court, accusing the president of constitutional vioalations. The lawsuit, supplemented by statements from thousands of Ukrainians, was returned to the plaintiff on the grounds that it does not offer enough proof.

“We are now considering taking this lawsuit to the European court of Human rights,” an opposition leader and former parliament speaker Arseniy Yatsenyuk said.

He said that the opposition accuses the president of violating the country’s constitution on 16 counts, including those he committed when extending Russia’s lease of its Black Sea fleet base and signing the controversial law granting Russian the "regional language" status.

Yatsenyuk also accused Yanukovych of “infringement on the freedom of speech and politically-motivated persecutions.”