Vladimir Putin’s main opponent, who died on February 16 at the age of 47 in a Russian penal colony in the Arctic, is to be buried this Friday in Moscow in a tense atmosphere.
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Several dozen members of the police, including riot police, have already been deployed in the area. Russian opponent Alexeï Navalny is to be buried Friday March 1 in Moscow. The opponent of Vladimir Putin, who died on February 16 in a Russian penal colony in the Arctic in circumstances which remain obscure, must first be entitled to a farewell ceremony in a church, to which his team called on his supporters to participate despite the risk of arrest by the police.
For several days already, tension has been rising around the church located around twenty km from the Kremlin, in the district where Alexeï Navalny lived when he was at liberty. Since the handover of Alexeï Navalny’s body to his mother on Saturday February 24, the team of the opponent who died at the age of 47 has searched in vain for a room which could have welcomed the public for a last tribute. She accuses the authorities of putting pressure on the managers. A few hours before the funeral, Alexeï Navalny’s team said they were having great difficulty finding a hearse to transfer the body to the church: all the funeral directors contacted refused to transport it.
Hesitations
No one really knows in what conditions the funeral will take place: will there be people there? What will be the attitude of the authorities towards those who come to the Marino district in the south of Moscow today? Taiysia is determined to go there. “Of course, I would like to express my condolences to the family. And I also think that such a demonstration is very important: it shows the other part of society that we exist.”says the young Muscovite.
“It actually shows how many people there are who think the same thing and aren’t completely terrified yet.”
Taiysia, a resident of Moscowat franceinfo
This uncertainty which makes some people hesitate, like Dariya. “We know the police are already there. That in any case, there may be provocations and that people will be arrested. I still have doubts and it is likely that at the moment, I am not morally ready to participate in such a ceremony“, she confides for her part. “Very severe threats and persecution can be expected“, confirmed on franceinfo Alexeï Navalny’s French lawyer, William Bourdon. During the spontaneous tributes at the time of Alexeï Navalny’s death, more than 400 people were arrested.
