Navalny’s Body Given to His Mother: Navalny Spokesperson

The body of the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has finally been handed over to his mother, more than a week after his death in an Arctic prison colony, according to his spokesperson on Saturday.

Navalny, President Vladimir Putin's most outspoken critic, passed away on Feb. 16 in a high-security prison in northern Siberia, where he was serving a 19-year sentence on charges widely perceived as politically motivated.

"Alexei's body has been transferred to his mother. We extend our gratitude to everyone who joined us in demanding this," stated Navalny's spokesperson, Kira Yarmysh, on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Russian authorities had initially refused to release custody of Navalny's body to Lyudmila Navalnaya, despite her journey to the town of Salekhard in the Yamalo-Nenets region, the nearest settlement to the prison colony where her son died.

On Friday, Navalny's team announced they had initiated legal action to obtain the body, alleging that local investigators had threatened to conduct a "secret" burial on the prison grounds if his mother did not comply.

Yarmysh indicated that the arrangements for the funeral remained uncertain.

"Lyudmila Ivanovna is still in Salekhard. The specifics of the funeral are still pending. We are uncertain if the authorities will respect the family's wishes and conduct it as Alexei deserves," she remarked.

Previously, Navalny's team had accused the Kremlin of attempting to prevent a public funeral, fearing it could galvanize support for Navalny's movement and his opposition to Putin.

The Russian leader, who notably refrained from mentioning Navalny's name in public, has yet to address the death of his most prominent critic.