The Tragic Story of Alexey Navalny: Pressure for a Secret Funeral
In a shocking turn of events, the mother of Russian opposition politician Alexey Navalny has revealed that she is being pressured to hold a secret funeral for her son, who died in an Arctic penal colony last week. Lyudmila Navalnaya, who had been denied access to her son’s body for days after his death, finally saw it on Wednesday in a morgue in Salekhard, a Siberian town near the prison where Navalny had been held since December. She also saw a medical report stating his cause of death as natural.
Navalny’s wife, Yulia Navalnaya, has consistently maintained that Russian President Vladimir Putin is responsible for her husband’s death and urged the media not to be swayed by Russian government narratives. In a video posted on her son’s YouTube channel, Navalny’s mother expressed her frustration at the situation, stating that she is being blackmailed and threatened regarding the funeral arrangements. She claimed that an investigator named Voropayev told her, “Time is working against you. The corpse is decomposing.”
The Russian Investigative Committee, which is looking into the circumstances surrounding Navalny’s death, has reportedly set numerous conditions for the release of his body. These conditions include keeping the funeral private and not announcing it to prevent crowds from gathering. The body would also have to be transported to Moscow on a special plane, and the family would be accompanied by a committee employee at all times. Additionally, the body would have to be kept in either the Moscow or Vladimir region prior to burial due to concerns of a potential morgue storming.
Navalny’s mother initially faced difficulties in choosing a cemetery for her son’s burial, but eventually agreed to hold the funeral at Khovanskoye cemetery in Moscow. However, the parties have not yet reached an agreement on the farewell hall. Ivan Zhdanov, the director of Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, revealed these details and emphasized that Navalny’s mother was pressured into agreeing to these conditions.
The Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, claimed to be unaware of Navalny’s mother’s comments and the issues she is facing with investigators. He stated that the Kremlin is currently dealing with other important matters. Meanwhile, Navalny’s wife accused Russian authorities of hiding his body to conceal the true cause of death. She criticized their attempts to wait for any traces of Novichok, a nerve agent, to disappear.
Navalny’s death, announced on February 16, has drawn international attention and condemnation. Western leaders, including US President Joe Biden, have blamed Putin for Navalny’s demise, calling it evidence of his brutality. However, Russia has accused the US of hysteria regarding the death and emphasized that it is conducting an ongoing investigation.
Navalny, Russia’s highest-profile opposition leader, returned to the country in January 2021 after recovering from a poisoning attack in Germany. Upon his return, he was swiftly arrested on politically motivated charges and spent the remainder of his life in prison. He had been sentenced to 19 years in prison in August for various crimes, including creating an extremist community and financing extremist activists.
Navalny’s tragic story highlights the ongoing struggle between the Russian opposition and the government. His death has sparked outrage and demands for justice both within Russia and internationally. As the investigation unfolds, the world watches closely to see how this chapter in Russian politics will unfold.