The late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, was finally shown her son’s body by investigators after days of being barred from the morgue. She accused Russian authorities of pressuring her into a secret burial for her son and declared their actions to be illegal. Russian authorities have declared Navalny’s death to be due to natural causes, but his mother is demanding the release of his body for a proper burial.
Lyudmila Navalnaya has filed a lawsuit challenging officials’ refusal to release her son’s body and has appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin for help. She is demanding that her son’s body be released immediately so that she can bury him properly. Over 400 people have been held across Russia since Navalny’s death while attempting to pay tribute to him with flowers and candles.