Concerns Rise Over Kremlin’s Handling of Alexei Navalny’s Body, Accused of Obfuscating Details on His Whereabouts
Accusations have been made by Alexei Navalny’s allies against the Kremlin for allegedly trying to hide evidence. Two days after the opposition leader’s death in custody, there is still uncertainty about the location of his body and what it could reveal about his death.
Navalny’s mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, and his lawyer visited the “Polar Wolf” IK-3 penal colony in Russia’s Arctic north over the weekend to locate his body. They encountered conflicting information about its whereabouts from different institutions and departed without finding or seeing her son.
Over 350 individuals have been detained in Russia for participating in vigils for the 47-year-old. As anger over his death escalates, the EU foreign policy chief announced that Navalny’s widow, Yulia Navalnaya, is scheduled to speak to the bloc’s 27 foreign ministers on Monday.
On Sunday, she shared a heartfelt message on Instagram declaring her love, accompanied by a photo of her and her spouse. Western leaders have stated that they blame the Kremlin for his death.
Lyudmila, in contrast to Yulia and Navalny’s children, is still in Russia. She was initially informed that her son’s body had been transported to Salekhard, the town close to the prison facility.
However, upon her arrival at the morgue on Saturday, she found it closed. “They’re leading us in circles and trying to hide their actions,” remarked Kira Yarmysh, spokesperson for Navalny.
Ivan Zhdanov, in charge of Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, mentioned that Navalny’s lawyer and mother were informed that the cause of his death was attributed to “sudden death syndrome” – a broad term encompassing various cardiac conditions leading to sudden cardiac arrest and death.
Conflicting Reports Surround Navalny’s Death as Supporters Urge Clarity From Moscow
According to Novaya Gazeta Europe, an independent news outlet, unidentified sources claimed that Navalny’s body was transported to the morgue at the Salekhard district clinical hospital on Sunday.
A paramedic at the Salekhard ambulance service informed Novaya Gazeta that colleagues who treated Navalny observed signs of bruising consistent with seizure and traces of heart massage attempts on his body.
However, a worker at the morgue in Salekhard refuted the claims, stating to Reuters that Navalny’s body had not been received.
The contradictory information contributed to the ongoing uncertainty surrounding Navalny’s last moments, prompting his supporters to demand further details from Moscow.
Every inch of the colony is monitored by cameras. Every move he made was captured from various perspectives over the years. Every staff member is equipped with a video recorder,” mentioned Navalny’s top associate and strategist, Leonid Volkov, in a recent statement.
Within the past two days, no videos have been leaked or published. There’s absolutely no room for doubt here,” he emphasized.
On Friday, prison authorities in Russia shared that Navalny started feeling unwell after a walk and later lost consciousness at the prison in Kharp. An ambulance arrived, but unfortunately, he could not be revived. The service stated that the cause of death was still being determined.
For the third consecutive day, people in Russia came together to honor and leave flowers at impromptu memorials for Navalny.
