2024-02-17T18:24:25+00:00
A-
A
A+
/ The Russian authorities informed the mother of prominent Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny that her son died of “sudden death syndrome”, and that his body will not be handed over to his family before the investigation into his death is completed.
Navalny, a 47-year-old former lawyer, collapsed and died on Friday while walking in a penal colony in the Arctic in Kharp, about 1,900 kilometers (1,180 miles) northeast of Moscow, where he was serving a three-decade sentence, Reuters reported, citing the Russian prison service.
Praise for Navalny’s courage
Western leaders, including US President Joe Biden, have praised Navalny’s courage and accused President Vladimir Putin of being responsible for his death without providing evidence. Britain has said it will take action over his death.
The Kremlin said the West’s response was unacceptable and “hasty.” Putin has yet to comment on Navalny’s death.
His 69-year-old mother, Lyudmila, braved Arctic temperatures of minus 30 degrees Celsius on Saturday to visit the penal colony where her son died.
Navalny’s spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh told Reuters his mother received official notification that he had died at 2:17 p.m. local time (0917 GMT) on Friday.
“When Alexei’s lawyer and mother arrived at the colony this morning, they were told that the cause of Navalny’s death was sudden death syndrome,” Ivan Zhdanov, director of the Navalny Anti-Corruption Foundation, said on social media platform X.
“Sudden death syndrome” is a vague term that refers to various cardiac syndromes that cause sudden cardiac arrest and death.
His team said it was also unclear where Navalny’s body was. His mother was told the body had been taken to the nearby prison complex city of Salekhard, but when it arrived at the morgue it was closed.
Yarmysh said that when Navalny’s lawyer called the morgue, the response was that his body was not there.
Later, officials informed them that the body would not be handed over until the investigation was completed.
“We have not yet been able to reach his body and do not know for sure where he is, and we demand that the Russian authorities hand him over to his family immediately,” Yarmysh said in an interview.