Campaign launched

Russian NGO demands handover of Navalny’s body

(Bild: ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Following the death of Alexei Navalny, the body of the Kremlin critic has disappeared. Navalny's mother and his lawyers have so far searched for him in vain. A Russian civil rights platform has now launched a campaign to have the body returned to his relatives.

Navalny's team had stated that the Russian authorities are refusing to release his body until state investigators have completed further tests. According to the online medium "Meduza", the authorities can delay the release of the remains for another 30 days.

Appeal launched
The human rights organization OVD-Info is calling on Russians to contact the relevant federal investigative committee and demand that the body be handed over to Navalny's family, reports Meduza. According to human rights activists, those who demand the return of the body are not at risk of being prosecuted by the police.

Memorial for Navalny in Montreal(Bild: ASSOCIATED PRESS)

According to the Russian authorities, Navalny, who was physically weakened after many days in repeated solitary confinement, collapsed on Friday while walking around the yard in the prison camp in freezing temperatures. Resuscitation attempts were unsuccessful, according to the prison authorities.

"Sudden death"
A prison employee had told Navalny's mother that he had died of "sudden death". Human rights activists accuse the Russian power apparatus of murder. The prominent anti-corruption campaigner's associates also assume that Navalny was deliberately killed.

More than 400 arrests
According to OVD-Info, more than 400 people have now been detained at rallies in memory of Alexei Navalny. In St. Petersburg alone, the authorities detained at least 200 people. Another memorial site was also destroyed there, with men in civilian clothes stuffing flowers that had been laid down into garbage bags (see video above). According to human rights activists, there were arrests in a total of 32 Russian cities.