The mother of Alexei Navalny, Russia’s prominent opposition figure, made a heartfelt plea to President Vladimir Putin, urging him to release her son’s body promptly. This plea comes amidst allegations of foul play surrounding Navalny’s demise while in an Arctic prison.
Navalny, Putin’s primary political adversary, passed away in a penal colony on Friday, as confirmed by Russian authorities. However, his supporters assert that the 47-year-old was murdered.
Lyudmila Navalnaya, Navalny’s mother, visited the remote IK-3 penal colony shortly after his death was announced but was denied access to his body. In a poignant video released by Navalny’s team, she implored Putin to allow her to bid a humane farewell to her son.
“For the fifth day, I cannot see him. They don’t give me his body, and I am not even told where he is,” Lyudmila Navalnaya expressed, standing before the barbed wire of the IK-3 prison in the Arctic Circle, where Navalny spent his final weeks.
Navalny’s allies disclosed that his mother has been barred from morgues, and investigators have indicated that his body might be retained for “at least two weeks.”
Navalny’s team also shared a written letter from Lyudmila Navalnaya to Putin, demanding the release of her son’s body. However, the Kremlin has not provided a timeline for the handover, and Putin has remained silent regarding Navalny’s demise.
Yulia Navalnaya, Navalny’s widow, asserted that Putin was responsible for her husband’s death. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed her accusation as baseless, prompting Navalnaya to demand the dignified burial of Navalny.
The aftermath of Navalny’s death saw the detention of hundreds of mourners, with Yulia Navalnaya’s social media account temporarily suspended after she criticized the Kremlin.
In a meeting with European Union foreign ministers, Navalnaya called on the EU not to recognize Russia’s upcoming presidential election, emphasizing Putin’s alleged involvement in Navalny’s death.
Navalnaya urged the EU to differentiate between Putin and Russia, stressing that those fleeing from war and oppression should not be considered adversaries. Meanwhile, Navalny’s friend Ilya Yashin, imprisoned for denouncing the Ukraine offensive, expressed his conviction that Navalny was assassinated, attributing the act to Putin as “demonstrative revenge.”
Navalny’s death has ignited widespread shock and condemnation among liberal circles in Russia, fueling accusations against the Kremlin and intensifying calls for justice and accountability.
