Alexei Navalny’s remains handed over to his mother

MOSCOW (Reuters) – The body of Alexei Navalny, who died suddenly in prison last week, was handed over to his mother on Saturday in the Arctic town of Salekhard, the Russian opponent’s spokeswoman said , Kira Yarmych.

Those close to Alexeï Navalny, Vladimir Putin’s best-known opponent, accuse the Russian president of having killed him, which the Kremlin firmly denies.

Via social networks, Alexei Navalny’s team declared that the former lawyer’s death certificate states that he died of “natural causes”.

In a video recorded before the handover of the body, Alexei Navalny’s wife, Yulia Navalnaya, accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of having “tortured” his remains.

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Kira Yarmych clarified on the social network X that she did not know if the authorities would authorize a funeral respecting the wishes of the family.

The leaders of the G7 member countries called on Russia to shed light on the circumstances surrounding the death of Alexei Navalny, in a statement published on Saturday to mark the second anniversary of the war in Ukraine.

The G7 leaders, who reaffirmed their support for Ukraine, also called on Moscow to release “all unjustly detained prisoners.”

“We will hold those responsible for the death of Alexei Navalny accountable, including by continuing to impose restrictive measures against human rights violations and abuses in Russia,” it added.

Lyudmila Navalnaya accused Russian investigators on Thursday of forcing her to bury her son in secret, without ceremony, which she said she refused.

According to the opponent’s supporters, the authorities threatened to bury him in the penal colony where he died, unless his family accepted their conditions.

(Written by Felix Light, French version Kate Entringer and Camille Raynaud)