The body of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been handed over to his mother nine days after he died in an Arctic prison, his spokesperson announced on Saturday.
In a post on X, Kira Yarmysh thanked “all those who had demanded” the return of his body, but added that she did not know if the authorities would allow a public funeral to be held.
“The funeral is still pending. We do not know if the authorities will interfere [with it being carried] out as the family wants and as Alexei deserves,” she said.
Navalny’s mother earlier in the week recorded several videos saying the authorities were “blackmailing her” into agreeing to a secret funeral for her son.
Lyudmila Navalnaya, who had been trying to retrieve her son’s body for more than a week, said investigators refused to give her his body unless she agreed to a secret funeral without a public farewell. She said she refused the conditions set by the authorities, insisting on a public funeral.
Earlier on Saturday, Yulia Navalnaya, Navalny’s widow, accused the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, of mocking Christianity over the treatment of her late husband’s body.
“You tortured him alive, and now you keep torturing him dead. You mock the remains of the dead,” she said in a message to Putin.
“No true Christian could ever do what Putin is now doing with the body of Alexei,” she said, asking: “What will you do with his corpse? How low will you sink to mock the man you murdered?” Navalnaya said in a video published on her social media.
Navalny’s team and Navalnaya say he was killed by the Russian authorities. The Kremlin denies all involvement in Navalny’s death. Navalny’s mother has been shown a medical report of her son’s death that said he died of “natural causes”.
The Kremlin appears to be going to great lengths to prevent Navalny’s funeral from turning into a public display of support for the opposition leader before the country’s presidential elections next month.
But Moscow’s treatment of Navalny’s body has sparked an outcry among his supporters.
More than 82,000 people have signed a petition to Russia’s investigative committee asking for Navalny’s body to be handed to his family.
At least 800 people have signed a separate petition initiated by a group of Russian Orthodox priests, saying his family has the right to say farewell to Navalny and give him a Christian burial.
“Do not overshadow the tragedy of his death by refusing such a simple and humane request. Remember that everyone is equal before God,” it said.
The petition continued: “Refusing to release the body of Alexei Navalny to his family will be perceived as a manifestation of ruthlessness and inhumanity. This decision could lead to even greater tension in society. We urge you not to go down this path.”
Saturday marked nine days since the opposition leader’s death, a day when Orthodox Christians hold a memorial service. Several dozen Navalny supporters were seen lining up outside Moscow’s Christ the Savior Cathedral to pay their respects to the late opposition leader.
