Lyudmila Navalnaya accuses the Kremlin of wanting to secretly send her son Alexei underground. She was also informed of the official cause of death. Russian Orthodox clergy also criticize the fact that her body was not handed over to her.
The mother of Kremlin opponent Alexei Navalny, who died in a Russian prison camp, had access to his body after days of waiting. Lyudmila Navalnaya said in a video on Thursday that she saw her son's body in the morgue but did not receive it. The 47-year-old died in the prison camp on Friday last week. Since then, the mother had been searching for the body in the Arctic Circle region.
In the video, she again demanded that the body be handed over to her so she could bury it. She accused the power apparatus of wanting to secretly place Navalny's body underground.
“They set conditions about where, when and how I should bury Alexei. This is against the law,” she said. Investigators threatened to do something with the body if she did not agree to a secret burial. That's why she turned to the public because family members, but also supporters, should have the opportunity to say goodbye to Navalny.
Apparently natural death was determined
Navalny's mother also said that she was informed of the completion of the medical examination, including the cause of death. But she didn't name them. Navalny's spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysch, wrote on the online platform. In contrast, Navalny's wife, Yulia, his team and human rights activists accuse Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin of having ordered the assassination of the opposition figure, who barely survived a poison attack in 2020.
Navalny's mother said she spent 24 hours alone with investigators and detectives. On Wednesday night she was admitted to the morgue in the city of Salekhard, in northern Russia. Lyudmila Navalnaya did not comment on the condition of her son's body.
The Russian power apparatus continues to keep the body under lock and key. Human rights activists, family members and supporters accuse Putin of having ordered his opponent to be murdered in a prison camp. The Kremlin rejects the accusations.
Russian Orthodox clergy demand release of body
According to Kathpress, hundreds of Russian Orthodox clergy and laypeople appealed to Moscow's power apparatus to release the body of Kremlin opponent Alexei Navalny, who died in the prison camp. “We appeal to you to hand over Alexei Navalny’s body to his family, so that his mother, other family members and like-minded people can say goodbye to him and give him a Christian burial,” the appeal said.
Russian Orthodox believers reminded Putin, who often appears in churches with a candle in hand, that there are Christian rules; relatives would have the right to the funeral. “This is not only your desire and your right, but also your duty towards God and the deceased”, states the appeal, which has been available on the Internet since Wednesday and has 800 names, which was also distributed by opposition team on Thursday. has became. According to Orthodox custom, believers were to be buried on the third day after their death. “Alexei Navalny was not just an opposition politician, he was also a believer.”
The tragedy of death must not be aggravated by the refusal of a simple human request. “Remember that everyone is equal before God.” There is a risk that disgrace and inhumanity will further increase tensions in society. “Show mercy and compassion to your mother, your wife, your children and your loved ones.”
Julia Navalnaya publishes photo with her daughter
Alexei Navalny's wife Julia published the first photo together with her grieving daughter Darja. “My sweet little girl. I flew to you to hug you and support you, but you sit there and support me,” wrote Yulia Navalnaya in a post published on Instagram on Thursday. “You are so strong, so courageous and firm. We can handle anything, my heart. I'm glad you're by my side. I love you.” In addition to 23-year-old Darja, the Navalnys also have a 15-year-old son.
In the past, Darya Navalnaya has repeatedly made political demands for the release of her imprisoned father and has also given speeches honoring him at award ceremonies. She studies at Stanford University, in the USA.
Navalny's widow did not immediately travel to see the children on Friday, but initially blamed Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin for her husband's fate in front of the world at the Munich Security Conference.
According to authorities, Navalny died on February 16 in the penal camp with the unofficial name “Arctic Wolf” in the Siberian Arctic region of Yamal. The politician, weakened by a 2020 poison attack and repeated solitary confinement in the camp, reportedly collapsed during a visit to the prison's freezing courtyard and died despite attempts to resuscitate him. The cause of death is unclear. (APA/dpa)