The relatives of Alexei Navalny demanded on Saturday, February 17, that the remains of the Russian opponent be handed over to them “immediately”. “An employee of the colony [pénitentiaire] explained that the body was in Salekhard, an Arctic city where the prison is located. She was brought there by “investigators” to “conduct research,” said the prison spokeswoman. Opponent, Kira Iarmich. A A few minutes later she added that “Alexei's lawyer and his mother had arrived at the morgue” and that “it was closed.” “It is obvious that they are lying and doing everything to avoid handing over the body,” she added. AtShe accuses the Russian investigators of “doing everything to avoid a handover.” Follow our live stream.
Around a hundred people were arrested at rallies in Russia. During several demonstrations in Russia in honor of opponent Alexei Navalny, at least “101 people were arrested in ten cities,” the specialized NGO OVD-Info said on Saturday. About sixty of them were arrested and imprisoned in Saint Petersburg and about fifteen in Nizhny Novgorod. Around fifteen people were arrested in Moscow on Saturday afternoon, reports the independent Russian media Sota, which was present on site.
Beijing refuses to comment on an “internal Russian matter.” The Chinese Foreign Ministry did not want to react to the death of Alexei Navalny. “This is an internal Russian matter. “I will not comment on this,” a ministry spokesman said in response to a question from an AFP journalist on Saturday.
Meetings from Europe to the United States. Protesters gathered in Warsaw, Poland, on Friday evening, chanting “Putin, murderer” and “Never forget, never forgive.” Several hundred of them were also in Berlin (Germany), in front of the Russian embassy, shouting “Putin, murderer! Putin in The Hague!” or in front of Moscow’s permanent representation in Washington (USA).
Amnesty International is calling for an investigation. The NGO's secretary general, Agnès Callamard, calls on franceinfo for an independent investigation led by “the United Nations” to determine “the direct causes of this death.” She hopes that this will “confirm the value of international law, of the rights of all who like it.” [Alexeï Navalny]They are activists against corruption.