Alexey Navalny’s team confirms his death, calls for body to be returned | News

‘Alexey Navalny was murdered’, said a spokesperson for the Putin critic after his mother was officially notified.

The death of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny has been confirmed by his team, with his spokesperson saying the Kremlin critic “was murdered”.

Navalny died at 2:17pm (09:17 GMT) on February 16, according to the notice given to his mother, Kira Yarmysh wrote on X on Saturday in the first confirmation from his allies.

Yarmysh cited an employee of the “Polar Wolf” Arctic penal colony where the 47-year-old was serving a 19-year sentence as saying his body was picked up by investigators from Russia’s Investigative Committee and was now in the town of Salekhard.

“We demand that Alexey Navalny’s body be handed over to his family immediately,” she said.

Alexey Navalny was murdered. His death occurred on February 16 at 2:17 p.m. local time, according to the official message to Alexey’s mother.

An employee of the colony said that the body of Navalny is now in Salekhard. It was picked up by investigators from the IC. Now they are…

— Кира Ярмыш (@Kira_Yarmysh) February 17, 2024

The town is near the prison complex where the investigators were conducting “research”, Yarmysh said.

In a subsequent update, Yarmysh said that Navalny’s lawyer had been informed that the cause of death had not yet been determined.

A second examination of Navalny’s body has been made and the results, “allegedly”, will be available next week, Yarmysh posted on X. “It’s obvious that they are lying and doing everything they can to avoid handing over the body.”

The lawyer and Navalny’s mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, went to the local morgue in Salekhard on Saturday, but it was closed and Navalny’s body was not where prison authorities said it was being kept, his spokesperson added.

Alexey’s lawyer and his mother have arrived at the Salekhard morgue. It’s closed, however, the colony has assured them it’s working and Navalny’s body is there. The lawyer called the phone number which was on the door. He was told he was the seventh caller today. Alexey’s body is… pic.twitter.com/CsPbONUBrn

— Кира Ярмыш (@Kira_Yarmysh) February 17, 2024

In an update, Yarmysh said that the authorities will not hand over Navalny’s body to his relatives until the investigation is completed.

Now the Investigation Committee says directly that Alexey’s body will not be handed over to his relatives until the investigation is complete

— Кира Ярмыш (@Kira_Yarmysh) February 17, 2024

She subsequently added “Only an hour ago, the lawyers were informed that the investigation had been concluded and that something criminal had not been established.

“They literally lie every time, driving us around in circles and covering their tracks,” she wrote.

Russian authorities said Friday that Navalny fell unconscious and died after a walk in the penal colony in Kharp, about 1,900km (1,200 miles) northeast of Moscow.

Russian police detained more than 170 people across the country at memorials and rallies on Friday and Saturday that were held to honour Navalny, according to the OVD-Info protest monitoring group, which said 99 people were taken into custody in Saint Petersburg alone.

Strict anti-dissident laws ban protests in Russia, and pro-Navalny rallies have been particularly hit by authorities in the past.

World leaders have condemned the death of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s fierce critic.

United States President Joe Biden has said “Putin is responsible for Navalny’s death” while European Council President Charles Michel has said the European Union “holds the Russian regime for sole responsible for this tragic death”.