Alexei Navalny: Kremlin critic’s body has disappeared

Search in Siberia
His mother wants to say goodbye – but Navalny’s body has disappeared

If there was any hope, it is now finally gone. Also the confidants of Alexei Navalny has now confirmed the death of the Kremlin enemy, including his spokeswoman Kira Yarmysch. The mother received the official death notice. Navalny was 47 years old.

According to official – and not yet independently verified – information from Russian authorities, Navalny collapsed on Friday while walking in the freezing cold of his prison camp in Charp, Siberia. Attempts at resuscitation were unsuccessful. The death was confirmed at 2:17 p.m. local time (10:17 a.m. CET). The cause of death was reported to be “sudden death syndrome” by mother Lyudmila Navalnaya, reports Navalny’s confidante Ivan Zhdanov. The authorities have not yet made any statement about the specific circumstances of the death.

Alexei Navalny’s cause of death unknown

One thing is clear: Navalny was weakened. He survived a poison attack and was subjected to the most adverse prison conditions for years. His supporters accuse Vladimir Putin and his regime of murdering an enemy of the state.

In order to shed light on the exact cause of death, Navalny’s supporters are now calling for the body to be “immediately” handed over to his family so that it can be examined independently. However, the Kremlin critic’s mother, who had traveled to Siberia, and a lawyer did not get the remains released on Saturday. Rather, the body appears to be missing.

An employee of the prison camp beyond the Arctic Circle reported that Navalny’s body was in the city of Salekhard, around 50 kilometers southeast of the detention center, for “investigations,” as spokeswoman Yarmysch explains.

However, the morgue there doesn’t know anything about it, says an employee at the facility when asked by the Reuters news agency. According to Yarmysch, mother Navalnaya and the lawyer also received information that “Alexei’s body is not in the morgue.” In addition, the morgue in Salekhard is currently closed.

The relatives and supporters don’t know where Navalny’s body is – the Russian power apparatus apparently does. For them, the case seems as good as closed. “Just an hour ago, the lawyers were informed that the investigation had been completed and no crimes had been identified,” said Kira Jarmysch early on Saturday afternoon (CET). The final results should “supposedly” be available next week. The body may then be handed over to the relatives, writes Jarmysch. But she has lost faith in the regime if she ever had it: “They literally lie every time, drive us around in circles and cover their tracks.”

Lyudmila Navalnaya has to continue to wait in distant Siberia to identify her son’s remains.

Sources: Kira Jarmysch, Ivan Zhdanovnews agencies DPA, AFP and Reuters