Six days after the death of her son and after a direct appeal to Vladimir Putin, the mother of Russian opponent Alexeï Navalny said she was able to see his body and his death certificate. But in a new video, she accuses those in power of blackmailing her over her son’s burial conditions.
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A burial in the greatest secrecy. The mother of Alexeï Navalny, died at 47, six days ago, assured this Thursday that she had been able to see the body of her son, after several days of waiting. But in a video broadcast by the opponent’s team on YouTube, Lyoudmila Navalnaïa denounced the ” blackmail » that she suffered from the Russian authorities to secretly bury her son.
“ They want everything to be done secretly, without ceremony, they want to take me to the confines of a cemetery, near a fresh grave, and tell me : “Here lies your son.” I don’t agree with this “, declared Lyoudmila Navalnaïa. In detail, the mother of the deceased indicated that she was taken to the morgue and was able to see the remains of her son. She also says she is in Salekhard, the capital of the district of Yamalo-Nenetsia, a region in the Far North where death in detention Alexei Navalnyon February 16.
“ I demand that my son’s body be returned to me immediately »
According to his mother, investigators have already established the cause of death, “ and all legal and medical documents are ready “. “ I had to sign a medical certificate “, she continued: according to the opponent’s team, the cause of death is listed as ” natural “.
Lyudmila Navalnaïa, the mother of Alexeï Navalny denounces the blackmail of the Russian authorities
“ Legally, they should have returned Alexei’s body to me immediately, but they didn’t. Instead, they are blackmailing me, setting conditions on where, when and how Alexei should be buried. It’s illegal », castigated Lyoudmila Navalnaïa. “ I am recording this video because that they started to threaten me. Looking me in the eye, they say that if I refuse a secret funeral, they will do something with his body. The investigator (…) told me openly: “Time is against you, the corpse is decomposing” “, she said.
According to her, the pressure could come from the Kremlin or the Investigative Committee from Russia, a powerful investigative body. “ I want for you, those for whom Alexei was a loved one, for whom his death was a personal tragedy, there is a possibility of saying goodbye to him », Confided the mother of the opponent. “ I don’t want any special conditions, I want everything to be done according to the law. I demand that my son’s body be returned to me immediately », concluded Lyoudmila Navalnaïa with emotion.
The Kremlin against public funerals
Since last Saturday, Lyoudmila Navalnaïa had sought access to his body, with investigators ensuring that “ expertise » were necessary. She stops talking even addressed to President Vladimir Putin to win your case.
In the 2010s, before the repressive machine completely fell on him, Alexei Navalny managed to mobilize crowds, particularly in Moscow, and in this way won his status as number one opponent by Vladimir Putin. Thus, despite the repression that has decimated the opposition, a public funeral could theoretically mobilize its supporters.
This is confirmed by Russian political scientist Tatiana Stanovaïa. For her, the authorities want at all costs to prevent a funeral from becoming a catalyst for Russians who are opposed to the Kremlin, and who cannot express it publicly, under penalty of arrest or prosecution. “ A decision was made to convince Navalny’s mother to make a deal. They will return the body but on condition that the funeral does not become a political event “, she wrote on her Telegram account.
Read alsoAlexeï Navalny, the Russian martyr
(And with AFP)