Russian authorities are threatening to bury Alexeï Navalny on the territory of the penal colony where he died, the opponent’s team assured Friday, accusing investigators of wanting to prevent a public funeral which could mobilize his supporters.
Earlier, more than twenty figures from the Russian cultural and media world, critical of the Kremlin, had called on the authorities to hand over the body of Alexeï Navalny to his relatives, who have been asking for it since his death there. a week ago.
“An hour ago, an investigator called Alexei’s mother and gave her an ultimatum. Either she accepts a secret burial within three hours, without a public farewell, or Alexei will be buried in the penitentiary colony, indicated the spokesperson for the late opponent, Kira Iarmich, on X (ex-Twitter).
“She refuses to negotiate with the Investigative Committee because they do not have the authority to decide when and how her son will be buried,” she added.
Kira Iarmich said that Alexei Navalny’s mother, Lyudmila Navalnaïa, continued to ask the authorities to hand over her son’s body and to allow a public funeral.
The day before, Mme Navalnaïa claimed to have finally been able to see the body of her son, who died a week ago, while accusing the Russian authorities of “blackmailing” her to bury him secretly.
Those close to Alexei Navalny assure that the Russian authorities “killed” the opponent in prison and are seeking to prevent a public funeral to avoid any demonstration of support from the Russians.
In the 2010s, before the repressive machine completely fell on him, Mr. Navalny managed to mobilize crowds, particularly in Moscow, thus gaining his status as Vladimir Putin’s number 1 opponent.
And despite the repression that has decimated the opposition, a public funeral could theoretically mobilize its supporters.
His team called on Friday the police, military or members of the security services to communicate to them any information on the “murder” of Alexeï Navalny.
In exchange, “we promise a reward of 20,000 euros and the organization of your departure from the country, if you wish,” she said.
“It doesn’t matter what your status is, or whether you share Alexei Navalny’s political opinions. There are basic human principles: you cannot abuse a mother and blackmail her with the body of her murdered son,” his team wrote on Telegram.
“Always afraid” of Navalny
The team of the anti-corruption activist, who died last week in his penal colony in the Arctic in murky circumstances, has broadcast appeals from numerous personalities on social networks since Thursday evening.
Among them, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and journalist, Dmitri Mouratov, the director Andreï Zvyagintsev, the Nobel Prize winner for literature Svetlana Alexievitch, the writer Viktor Chenderovitch and the activist of the protest group Pussy Riot Nadejda Tolokonnikova.
“It’s embarrassing to say this in a country that still considers itself Christian, but give Lyudmila Ivanovna [Navalnaïa] his son,” said Mr. Muratov, editor-in-chief of the independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta.
“Putin was afraid of Navalny for many years when he was alive. And Putin is afraid of Navalny after his death — after killing Navalny, he is still afraid of him,” said Mr. Chenderovitch, exiled and declared a “foreign agent” by Moscow for his criticism of offensive in Ukraine.
Hundreds of people were arrested by police last week in Russia for honoring the memory of the Russian president’s main opponent, who has still not publicly commented on the death.