More than a week after he died in an Arctic prison colony, late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s remains were handed over to his mother, his spokesperson announced on Saturday.
Navalny, President Vladimir Putin’s most vocal critic, died on February 16 in one of Russia’s harshest prisons in northern Siberia, where he was serving a 19-year term on charges that were widely interpreted as political retribution for his opposition.
Navalny spokesperson Kira Yarmysh tweeted, “Alexei’s body was handed over to his mother. Many thanks to all those who demanded this with us”, through her official ‘X’ handle, formerly known as Twitter.
“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 Alexey deserves. We will inform you as soon as there is news”, Yarmysh added in her tweet.
Alexey's body was handed over to his mother. Many thanks to all those who demanded this with us.
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 Alexey deserves. We…
— Кира Ярмыш (@Kira_Yarmysh) February 24, 2024
For the last week, Russian officials refused to grant Lyudmila Navalnaya custody of her son’s remains when she traveled to Salekhard in the Yamalo-Nenets region, the closest settlement to the prison colony where Navalny died.
Navalny’s team announced on Friday that they had launched a lawsuit to acquire the body, claiming that local detectives had threatened to bury him on prison premises if his mother did not consent to a secret funeral.
Yarmysh stated that plans for the funeral were still uncertain.
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