Alexei Navalny’s body handed over to family

"We do not know if the authorities will interfere" with the funeral for the deceased Russian opposition leader, Navalny's spokeswoman said.

Alexei Navalny’s body handed over to family

The body of Alexei Navalny was delivered to his mother on Saturday, a spokesperson for the late Russian opposition leader said.

“Alexei’s body was handed over to his mother,” Kira Yarmysh, Navalny’s spokeswoman, said on X. “Many thanks to all those who demanded this with us.”

Navalny’s mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, “is still in Salekhard,” a town near the Arctic penal colony where the Russian opposition leader was held and died on Feb. 16.

“The funeral is still pending,” Yarmysh said. “We do not know if the authorities will interfere to carry it out as the family wants and as Alexei deserves,” she added.

A number of countries, including France, have called for an independent investigation into Navalny’s death.

Yulia Navalnaya, Navalny’s widow, has vowed to continue her husband’s fight against Russian leader Vladimir Putin.