NEW DELHI: Lyudmila Navalnaya, the mother of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, issued a heartfelt plea to President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, urging him to intervene and release her son’s body. Navalny’s mother, dressed in black, made the appeal outside the Arctic penal colony where Navalny died on Friday.
In a video posted by Navalny’s team on social media, Lyudmila Navalnaya expressed her anguish, stating, “For the fifth day, I have been unable to see him.They wouldn’t release his body to me. And they’re not even telling me where he is.” The mother, determined to bury her son with dignity, called on Putin to resolve the matter, emphasizing, “Let me finally see my son. I demand that Alexei’s body is released immediately, so that I can bury him like a human being.”
Russian authorities have claimed that the cause of Navalny’s death remains unknown, refusing to release his body for the next two weeks as the preliminary inquest continues. This has sparked accusations from Navalny’s team, who allege that the government is deliberately stalling to conceal evidence. Yulia Navalny, the widow of Alexei, released a video on Monday accusing Putin of being involved in her husband’s death and claimed that the refusal to release the body is part of a cover-up.
Efforts by Lyudmila Navalnaya and the lawyers to secure Navalny’s body from law enforcement agencies and the morgue in the Arctic region have been unsuccessful. Authorities imposed Section 144 in the area to maintain order, warning of consequences for those attempting to breach the order.
The death of Alexei Navalny, a prominent opposition figure, has heightened tensions between the government and the opposition, with allegations of a cover-up intensifying. Navalny’s widow has vowed to continue his fight against the Kremlin, and EU leaders have called for an international investigation into his death. Meanwhile, protests and detentions have ensued across Russia as citizens pay tribute to Navalny, who was seen by many as a symbol of hope for political change in the country.
Navalny, 47, had been imprisoned since January 2021 after returning to Moscow from Germany, where he had recovered from a nerve agent poisoning he attributed to the Kremlin. His death has left a void in the Russian opposition less than a month before an election widely expected to extend Putin’s tenure.
In a video posted by Navalny’s team on social media, Lyudmila Navalnaya expressed her anguish, stating, “For the fifth day, I have been unable to see him.They wouldn’t release his body to me. And they’re not even telling me where he is.” The mother, determined to bury her son with dignity, called on Putin to resolve the matter, emphasizing, “Let me finally see my son. I demand that Alexei’s body is released immediately, so that I can bury him like a human being.”
Russian authorities have claimed that the cause of Navalny’s death remains unknown, refusing to release his body for the next two weeks as the preliminary inquest continues. This has sparked accusations from Navalny’s team, who allege that the government is deliberately stalling to conceal evidence. Yulia Navalny, the widow of Alexei, released a video on Monday accusing Putin of being involved in her husband’s death and claimed that the refusal to release the body is part of a cover-up.
Efforts by Lyudmila Navalnaya and the lawyers to secure Navalny’s body from law enforcement agencies and the morgue in the Arctic region have been unsuccessful. Authorities imposed Section 144 in the area to maintain order, warning of consequences for those attempting to breach the order.
The death of Alexei Navalny, a prominent opposition figure, has heightened tensions between the government and the opposition, with allegations of a cover-up intensifying. Navalny’s widow has vowed to continue his fight against the Kremlin, and EU leaders have called for an international investigation into his death. Meanwhile, protests and detentions have ensued across Russia as citizens pay tribute to Navalny, who was seen by many as a symbol of hope for political change in the country.
Navalny, 47, had been imprisoned since January 2021 after returning to Moscow from Germany, where he had recovered from a nerve agent poisoning he attributed to the Kremlin. His death has left a void in the Russian opposition less than a month before an election widely expected to extend Putin’s tenure.