Alexei Navalny’s body to be held for two weeks for ‘chemical analysis’, family told
According to reports, the family of Alexei Navalny, the prominent critic of Putin who passed away in a Russian prison, has been informed that his body will be withheld for two weeks.
Navalny’s representative stated that his mother was notified that the body was being retained for “chemical analysis”. Despite efforts to ascertain its whereabouts, Russian authorities have not provided any confirmation regarding the location of the body, consistently thwarting attempts to locate it.
The widow of the deceased Russian opposition figure has accused authorities of concealing his body. In a video released on Monday, wherein she pledged to continue his mission for a “free Russia,” Yulia Navalnaya directly implicated Russian President Vladimir Putin in her husband’s demise. She also asserted that his body was being held until any traces of poisoning by the nerve agent Novichok had dissipated.
Expressing a mixture of grief and anger, Ms. Navalnaya implored viewers to stand in solidarity with her and to “share the anger and hatred towards those who dared to take away our future.”
Navalny’s death in custody was announced on Friday, with authorities at the Siberian penal colony where he was detained stating that he never regained consciousness after collapsing during a walk.
Following the news of his passing, Navalny’s mother and lawyer promptly traveled to the remote facility. However, their attempts to locate the body have been consistently rebuffed by the prison mortuary and local authorities.
The Kremlin stated on Monday that an investigation into Navalny’s death is ongoing, and as of yet, there are “no results”.
Later, Navalny’s spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh, disclosed that investigators informed Navalny’s mother, Lyudmila, that the body would not be released for two weeks while they conducted a “chemical analysis”.
In her video message, Ms Navalnaya said she believed the authorities were waiting for Novichok to disappear from Navalny’s body.
Navalny, who was the Russian opposition’s most significant leader for the last decade, had been serving a 19-year sentence on charges many viewed as politically motivated.
Western leaders have blamed for Navalny’s death squarely on President Putin.
Responding to questions from reporters on Monday, President Joe Biden said: “The fact of the matter is: Putin is responsible, whether he ordered it or he is responsible for the circumstances he put that man in.”
During a press conference on Monday, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Navalny had been “slowly murdered in a Russian jail by Putin’s regime”.
Both the EU and the US have said they are considering new sanctions on Russia following Navalny’s death.
The UK Foreign Secretary, Lord Cameron, has also said he expects Britain and the rest of the G7 group of rich nations to impose fresh sanctions on any Russians involved in the death.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said comments by Western politicians regarding Navalny’s death were “arrogant” and “unacceptable”.
Russian prison authorities said at the weekend that Navalny had suffered “sudden death syndrome”.
