Ultimatum for Closed Funeral Given to Navalny’s Family
Russian authorities have issued a chilling ultimatum to the family of the late opposition leader Alexey Navalny, threatening to bury him at the Arctic prison colony where he died if they do not agree to a closed funeral. Navalny, a fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin, passed away on February 16 after three years in prison on what many believe were politically motivated charges. Despite his mother’s arrival at the prison colony in northern Siberia, authorities have refused to release his body.
Navalny’s spokesperson Kira Yarmysh revealed on social media that an investigator gave Navalny’s mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, an ultimatum to agree to a secret funeral within three hours, or Navalny would be buried at the colony. Navalnaya, however, stood firm, demanding compliance with the law, which stipulates that the body should be handed over within two days of the cause of death being established.
Navalny’s team asserts that Russian officials are apprehensive of the opposition leader even in death, fearing a public funeral that could turn into a massive display of support for his anti-Putin stance. They have accused Putin of orchestrating a cover-up by preventing an independent forensic analysis of Navalny’s body. The arrest of hundreds of mourners at impromptu memorials dedicated to Navalny further underscores the government’s heavy-handed tactics.
Although Navalny’s mother was permitted to view his body, she decried the authorities’ attempt to dictate the terms of his burial, labeling it as blackmail. With tensions escalating, the world watches as the Russian government continues to suppress any form of public commemoration for Navalny, even in death.