Russia
After Alexei Navalny’s death: Authorities hand over body to mother
Lyudmila Navalnaya, the mother of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, stands in front of the penal colony where the Putin critic died
© Uncredited / Navalny Team / AP / DPA
After the death of Putin critic Alexei Navalny, Russian authorities threatened to bury him in a prison camp. Now the mother can have him buried herself.
The mother of the Kremlin opponent who died in custody Alexei Navalny received his body from the authorities. Navalny’s spokeswoman Kira Jarmysch announced this on Saturday on X (formerly Twitter). She thanked “everyone who asked for this with us.”
She didn’t yet know whether “the authorities will prevent the funeral ceremony from taking place as the family wants and as Alexei deserves,” Jarmisch explained.
The death of Navalny, who had been imprisoned in Russia for years, was announced on Friday last week. He died in a penal camp in the Arctic Circle at the age of 47. Navalny’s mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, only gained access to his body on Thursday.
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According to Jarmisch, Russian investigators threatened to bury Navalny’s body on the grounds of the penal colony where he died if his family did not agree to a secret burial.
Dismay over the death of Alexei Navalny
The death of Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin’s most prominent adversary caused international consternation. In addition to Navalny’s widow, numerous Western politicians blame the Russian leadership and Putin personally for his death. Moscow rejected the allegations.