Russia releases body of opposition leader Alexei Navalny to his mother

More than a week after passing away in an Arctic prison colony, late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny's remains was sent to his mother, his spokesperson announced on Saturday.

The most outspoken opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Navalny, passed away on February 16 in one of the country's most severe prisons in northern Siberia. He was serving a 19-year term on allegations that were mostly perceived as political retaliation for his opposition.

“Alexei’s body was handed over to his mother. Many thanks to all those who demanded this with us,” Navalny spokesperson Kira Yarmysh said on X, formerly known 

For the last week, Lyudmila Navalnaya's request to have custody of her son's body declined by Russian officials after she went to Salekhard, the closest town to the prison colony where Navalny died, in the Yamalo-Nenets region.

On Friday, Navalny's team announced that they had launched a petition to recover the body. They claimed that if his mother did not consent to a "secret" funeral, local detectives had threatened to bury him on the prison property.

Plans for the funeral are still unknown, according to Yarmysh.

“Lyudmila Ivanovna is still in Salekhard. The funeral is still pending. We do not know if the authorities will interfere to carry it out as the family wants and as Alexei deserves,” she said.

According to his team, the Kremlin had previously attempted to obstruct a public funeral, fearing that it would become a demonstration of support for Navalny's campaign and his defiance of Putin.

The Russian president, who is renowned for never mentioning Navalny in public, has not made any remarks regarding the passing of his most outspoken adversary.

Source