Moscow - A trusted associate of the late Russian opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, has disclosed that Navalny's mother, Lyudmila, has faced obstacles in retrieving her son's remains following his death in a remote Arctic detention facility.
Kira Yarmysh, a close aide, stated that Lyudmila Navalnaya was informed by authorities that Navalny's body would only be released after completion of a thorough post-mortem examination.
Navalny's supporters vehemently assert that the anti-corruption activist met his demise at the hands of agents acting on behalf of President Vladimir Putin. Concurrently, a human rights group reported that over 300 individuals in Russia have been detained for their efforts to pay tribute to Navalny's memory.
The blame for Navalny's sudden passing has been squarely directed at Russian authorities by Western nations, prompting foreign ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) to demand an urgent clarification regarding the circumstances surrounding his demise. Despite these calls, President Putin has maintained a notable silence since the announcement of Navalny's death by the Russian penitentiary service.
Russian officials have vehemently rejected what they view as biased interpretations of Navalny's cause of death, dismissing them as unrealistic. Simultaneously, protests have erupted near Russian diplomatic missions across the globe, while vigils and gatherings held in various Russian cities have resulted in numerous arrests.
At the Munich Security Conference, the G7 foreign ministers paid tribute to Navalny with a solemn minute of silence. British Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron emphasized that the UK would take decisive action in response to such egregious human rights violations, though refraining from elaborating on specific measures.
In attendance at the Munich conference, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky lambasted Putin as a "thug" and questioned his legitimacy. Navalny, a vocal critic of Putin's regime, was serving a lengthy sentence at the "Polar Wolf" penal colony in Kharp, situated approximately 1,200 miles north of Moscow.
Navalny's mother was reportedly informed by prison authorities that her son succumbed on Friday after collapsing during a routine walk. However, upon her visit to the facility, she encountered a closed morgue and received inconclusive results from an initial post-mortem examination.
Navalny's allies have accused Russian authorities of deliberately withholding his body to obfuscate evidence and have demanded its prompt return to his grieving family.