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Between the Arctic and in front of the prison, Navalny's mother addresses Putin through a video: The solution depends only on you...

2024-02-21 08:03:27Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Lyudmila Navalnaya

The family of Alexey Navalny has made a direct plea to Russian President Vladimir Putin for the release of the Russian dissident's body, five days after he died behind bars in a penal colony.

Standing in the snow outside the facility where her son was imprisoned, Lyudmila Navalnaya addressed Putin directly, saying she has not been told where Navalny's body is.

"The solution to this problem depends only on you. Let me finally see my son. I demand that Alexey's body be handed over immediately so that I can give him a humane burial," Navalnaya said in a video posted on Tuesday.

Navalny, one of the most high-profile dissidents during Putin's nearly 25 years in power, died while serving a 19-year prison sentence on charges he said were politically motivated. The Russian prison service said on Friday that Navalny "felt ill after a walk" and "almost immediately" lost consciousness before his death.

When authorities informed her of her son's death, Navalnaya was also told that the body was taken by investigators and taken to a morgue near the penal colony, according to Navalny's spokeswoman Kira Yarmish. Navalnaya arrived there on Saturday to find the morgue closed. Navalny's lawyer tried to call a number on the door of the building, but was told the body was not there. Two days later Navalnaya was personally rejected at the morgue. Staff there declined to say whether the body was inside.

Navalnaya arrived at the morgue on Saturday to find it closed, Yarmish said on social media. Navalny's lawyer tried to call a number on the door of the building, but was told the body was not there. Two days later, Navalnaya was turned away in person at the morgue, Yarmish said, adding that staff declined to say whether the body was inside.

It is unclear exactly why the body is still with Russian authorities.

Navalny's team was informed on Saturday that the investigation had ended and that foul play had been ruled out. Two days later, Navalny's mother was told the investigation would be extended and the cause of death remained unknown, Yarmish said on social media.

Yarmish added on Monday that Navalny's body will not be released for another 14 days, during which it will undergo "some kind of chemical examination".

A previous prayer

It's unclear whether Navalnaya's plea directly to the Russian leader will work, but there is precedent.

After Navalny was poisoned with the Soviet-era Novichok nerve agent in 2020, his wife, Yulia Navalnaya, wrote directly to Putin to ask that her husband be allowed to leave Russia and receive treatment in Germany. Putin later said he "immediately gave orders" to let Navalny go when he received Navalny's letter.

Navalnaya claims that Russian authorities are holding the body to make it impossible to determine the cause of death.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Tuesday called these accusations "absolutely baseless" and "nonsense".

Navalnaya offered no evidence, but said on social media: We know exactly why Putin killed Alexey three days ago. We will tell you about it soon. We will definitely also find out who committed this crime and how exactly. We will name their names and show their faces.

Addressing the European Union's Foreign Affairs Council on Monday, she noted that her husband was killed exactly a month before Russia went to the polls to choose a new president. Putin is virtually unopposed in the race.

"These elections are fake, but Putin still needs them. For propaganda. He wants the whole world to believe that everyone in Russia supports and admires him. Don't believe this propaganda," she said.

Navalnaya's EU speech followed a flurry of public comments in the days following her husband's death. She also made a surprise appearance at the Munich Security Conference at the weekend. Many are wondering whether Navalnaya, who has spent most of her life out of the spotlight, is now trying to take up the mantle as the new face of the Russian opposition in exile.

Inside Russia, the space for dissent is more limited than it has been in decades. Hundreds were reportedly arrested as crowds turned out to pay their respects to Navalny after his death.

Navalny's younger brother, Oleg, has been added to the Russian Interior Ministry's wanted list on unspecified charges, Russian state media reported. Oleg Navalny was previously convicted of fraud in a case Kremlin critics said was aimed at putting pressure on his older brother.


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