NEW DELHI: The relatives of Russian opposition leader Alexei
Navalny
have been denied access to his body for the third consecutive day, according to his team.
On Monday, Navalny’s spokesperson, Kira Yarmysh, stated that his mother was not allowed into the morgue where his body may be held. Navalny, a 47-year-old former lawyer, fell unconscious and died on Friday after a walk at the “Polar Wolf” penal colony in Kharp, about 1,900 km (1,200 miles) northeast of Moscow, where he was serving a three-decade sentence, the prison service had said.
Yarmysh further revealed that when Navalny’s mother and lawyers arrived at the morgue, they were prevented from entering, with one of the lawyers being physically pushed out.
“Alexei’s mother and his lawyers arrived at the morgue early in the morning. They were not allowed to go in. One of the lawyers was literally pushed out. When the staff was asked if Alexei’s body was there, they did not answer,” Navalny’s spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said on social media.
The staff at the morgue did not provide any response when asked about the presence of Navalny’s body.
Meanwhile, Russian investigators have not yet determined the cause of his death, and the probe has been extended. Navalny, a prominent political opponent of President
Vladimir Putin
, passed away after being imprisoned in Russia for three years.
Russian President Putin has not yet commented on Navalny’s death.
(With agency inputs)
