Alexei Navalny is a fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin. (document)
russian opposition leader Alexey NavalnyThe body was reportedly missing from the morgue for several days before being discovered. An anonymous paramedic told an independent news outlet that the body showed “signs of bruising.”
The medical staff said that the bodies of those who died in prison were usually transported directly to the Foreign Medical Bureau, “but for some reason, his body was transported to the clinical hospital.” He added that the “bruises” on his body were similar to those caused by epileptic seizures. The marks left when pressed.
Navalny, a fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin, died in the remote Arctic prison colony while serving a 19-year sentence. The prison service said he was out for a walk and lost consciousness and could not be revived.
Prison officials told his mother, Lyudmila, that he died of “sudden death syndrome.” Lawyers for Lyudmila and Navalny arrived at the prison area on Saturday but were denied access to his body. They were told that his body could not be handed over until the investigation was complete.
His supporters accused Russian authorities of killing him and claimed they refused to hand over the body to “cover their tracks“.
Navalny’s wife, Yulia Navalnaya, earlier said she was skeptical of news of her husband’s death because it came from Russian government sources.
His death also sparked anger and condemnation in the West, with U.S. President Joe Biden holding Putin “responsible for Navalny’s death.”
