Russian politician Alexey Navalny’s body remains in the morgue, with his mother and lawyers being denied access. The request to view his body was denied for an undisclosed amount of time and the cause of his death remains “undetermined”. The handling of the situation has led to criticism and Putin and his administration continue to distance themselves from the issue.
Navalny passed away in prison on Friday, February 16th, after feeling unwell on a walk in his prison and falling unconscious. The cause of his death is unclear, with his team accusing authorities of lying to delay the process of returning his body to the family. This incident has ignited global protests, with many gathering outside Russian embassies in Europe. In Russia, protests require authorization from officials and the Moscow Prosecutor’s Office has warned that any demonstration over Navalny’s death would be prohibited.
Navalny’s death has been met with great sadness around the world. His poisoning with a chemical agent from the Novichok group was investigated, with the German government concluding that it was used on him. Navalny had previously believed that there was no ongoing investigation in Russia into his poisoning, despite Bellingcat-CNN’s findings, which showed that the lethal nerve agent Novichok had been placed in the activist’s underpants. This story has been updated, with Anna Chernova contributing to the report.