AFPE A photo of Navalny at a vigil in Paris
NOS News•today, 10:59•Changed today, 12:59
The late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny will be buried in Moscow on Friday. There is also a farewell ceremony in a church that day. A spokesperson told Reuters news agency. There are no further details about the farewell yet.
It is still unclear whether the funeral will be “peaceful”, says his wife Yulia Navalnaya. She addressed the European Parliament in Strasbourg today. “Or that Putin will have the people who come to say goodbye to my husband arrested.”
Watch part of Navalnaya’s speech in the European Parliament here:
‘I’m not sure if my husband’s funeral will be peaceful’
Navalny’s body was handed over to his mother this weekend. Russian authorities have long refused to release his body. According to the team around Navalny, the authorities wanted to prevent any traces of poisoning from being found in his body.
Navalnaya has already accused Russian authorities of killing Navalny with Novichok, the nerve agent used to attack him in 2020. It is still unclear on what information she made those statements. She said the team would later provide evidence and names of perpetrators, but that has not happened yet.
According to investigative journalist and ally of Navalny Maria Pevchich, he was a candidate for a prisoner exchange shortly before his death. She says Putin didn’t want him released, so he had him killed.
Died in penal colony
Navalny (47) died almost two weeks ago in a penal colony on the edge of the Arctic Circle, where he was serving a year-long sentence after a show trial. The death certificate states that he died of natural causes, but little belief is given to this.
Correspondent Geert Groot Koerkamp:
“The fact that we have now managed to find a time and place for Navalny’s funeral is quite something, because anyone who interferes is at risk. For example, no large hall has been found where people can say goodbye in large numbers.
It was also difficult to find a priest willing to officiate at the funeral in the church. The team around Navalny has called for him to say goodbye as early as possible. Time is limited and interest will be high.
Navalnaya will not attend the funeral. She lives abroad and traveling to Russia involves too many risks.”
2024-02-28 11:59:05
#Alexei #Navalny #buried #Moscow #Friday
