Alexey Navalny’s team confirms his death, calls for body to be returned | News

The dying of Russian opposition chief Alexey Navalny has been confirmed by his staff, along with his spokesperson saying the Kremlin critic “was murdered”.

Navalny died at 2:17pm (09:17 GMT) on February 16, in keeping with the discover given to his mom, spokesperson Kira Yarmysh wrote on X on Saturday within the first affirmation from his allies.

Yarmysh cited an worker of the “Polar Wolf” Arctic penal colony the place the 47-year-old was serving a 19-year sentence as saying his physique was picked up by investigators from Russia’s Investigative Committee and was now within the city of Salekhard.

“We demand that Alexey Navalny’s physique be handed over to his household instantly,” she stated.

Alexey Navalny was murdered. His dying occurred on February 16 at 2:17 p.m. native time, in keeping with the official message to Alexey’s mom.

An worker of the colony stated that the physique of Navalny is now in Salekhard. It was picked up by investigators from the IC. Now they’re…

— Кира Ярмыш (@Kira_Yarmysh) February 17, 2024

The city is close to the jail complicated the place the investigators had been conducting “analysis”, Yarmysh stated.

In a subsequent replace, Yarmysh stated Navalny’s lawyer had been knowledgeable that the reason for dying had not but been decided.

A second examination of Navalny’s physique has been made and the outcomes, “allegedly”, will probably be accessible subsequent week, Yarmysh posted on X. “It’s apparent that they’re mendacity and doing all the pieces they will to keep away from handing over the physique.”

Ivan Zhdanov, the director of Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Basis, wrote on X that Navalny’s mom had been advised by jail officers that her son had perished attributable to “sudden dying syndrome” when she arrived at his former penal colony Saturday with considered one of Navalny’s legal professionals.

The lawyer and Navalny’s mom, Lyudmila Navalnaya, went to the native morgue in Salekhard on Saturday, however it was closed and Navalny’s physique was not the place jail authorities stated it was being stored, his spokesperson added.

Alexey’s lawyer and his mom have arrived on the Salekhard morgue. It is closed, nevertheless, the colony has assured them it is working and Navalny’s physique is there. The lawyer referred to as the telephone quantity which was on the door. He was advised he was the seventh caller immediately. Alexey’s physique is… pic.twitter.com/CsPbONUBrn

— Кира Ярмыш (@Kira_Yarmysh) February 17, 2024

In an replace, Yarmysh stated that the authorities won’t hand over Navalny’s physique to his family till the investigation is accomplished.

She subsequently added: “Solely an hour in the past, the legal professionals had been knowledgeable that the investigation had been concluded and that one thing legal had not been established.

“They actually lie each time, driving us round in circles and protecting their tracks,” she wrote.

Russian authorities stated on Friday that Navalny fell unconscious and died after a stroll within the penal colony in Kharp, about 1,900km (1,200 miles) northeast of Moscow.

His dying – lower than a month earlier than an election that may give Putin one other six years in energy – has eliminated Putin of his best political foe who organised mass anti-Kremlin protests and crusaded in opposition to corruption.

‘His legacy received’t die’

Yarmysh stated in an interview that Navalny’s imaginative and prescient for change in Russia will probably be stored alive by his staff.

“We misplaced our chief, however we didn’t lose our concepts and our beliefs”, Yarmysh advised Reuters by way of Zoom, talking from an undisclosed location.

Yarmysh, who had labored with Navalny for over a decade, stated he represented hope that Russia will probably be “a correct democratic nation with honest elections, with an impartial courtroom, with free press… peaceable and rich nation”.

“After all everyone seems to be devastated,” she stated. “Alexey was an individual who resembled all these concepts and who was combating for them. So, I’m positive that his legacy received’t die with him, and other people will return to those concepts.”

She stated the staff holds Putin accountable for what she referred to as Navalny’s homicide.

She didn’t present proof for this however pointed to an incident in 2020 when Navalny survived what Western docs stated was a nerve agent poisoning try on his life.

Putin denied on the time that the Russian state had tried to kill Navalny, saying it could have “completed the job” if it had actually wished to eradicate him.

“We knew that there was a danger, Alexey knew it as effectively. And yesterday they murdered him as they deliberate to do it three years in the past”, Yarmysh stated.

She referred to as on Western leaders to “put as a lot strain on (Putin) as attainable”, to hunt justice in response to Navalny’s dying and to not negotiate with Putin.

Russian police detained more than 170 people across the country at memorials and rallies on Friday and Saturday that had been held to honour Navalny, in keeping with the OVD-Information protest monitoring group, which stated 99 individuals had been taken into custody in Saint Petersburg alone.

Strict anti-dissident legal guidelines ban protests in Russia, and pro-Navalny rallies have been notably hit by authorities up to now.

World leaders have condemned the dying of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s fierce critic.

United States President Joe Biden has stated “Putin is responsible for Navalny’s death” whereas European Council President Charles Michel has stated the European Union “holds the Russian regime for sole accountable for this tragic dying”.