Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s team declared his death a murder Saturday as authorities claimed his life ended because of a medical condition called “sudden death syndrome.”
Navalny, 47, died Friday in Russia’s brutal IK-3 penal colony in remote Kharp, about 1,200 miles northeast of Moscow.
“Alexey Navalny was murdered. His death occurred on February 16 at 2:17 p.m. local time, according to the official message to Alexey’s mother,” Navalny’s spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh wrote on X early Saturday.
Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service originally claimed “the convict” collapsed and died after he “felt unwell” during a walk.
5 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny died Friday in a Russian gulag. He is pictured here with his family. AP
“When Alexei’s lawyer and mother arrived at the colony this morning, they were told that the cause of Navalny’s death was sudden death syndrome,” Ivan Zhdanov, who directs Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, wrote Saturday on X.
The syndrome usually involves cardiac issues which cause a person’s unexpected death.
Navalny’s family has demanded the government give them his remains “immediately,” with his spokeswoman noting his body was not in the morgue in Salekhard, the town closest to IK-3.
His mother was seen leaving the penal colony Saturday.
“An employee of the colony said that the body of Navalny is now in Salekhard. It was picked up by investigators from the IC. Now they are conducting ‘investigations’ with him. We demand that Alexey Navalny’s body be handed over to his family immediately,” Yarmysh wrote.
5 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny died of “sudden death syndrome” while imprisoned at an Arctic prison, Russian authorities said. REUTERS
“Alexey’s lawyer and his mother have arrived at the Salekhard morgue,” Yarmysh wrote in another post. “It’s closed, however, the colony has assured them it’s working and Navalny’s body is there. The lawyer called the phone number which was on the door. He was told he was the seventh caller today. Alexey’s body is not in the morgue.”
Yarmysh showed her frustration, noting Russian authorities had told one of Navalny’s lawyers that his cause of death had not yet been established and a new histological examination has been carried out, the results of which would supposedly be available next week.
“It’s obvious that the killers want to cover their tracks and are therefore not handing over Alexei’s body, hiding it even from his mother,” Navalny’s team said in a post on Telegram.
Navalny’s body would not be handed over to family until that investigation was complete, authorities initially said.
5 A view shows the entrance to the IK-3 penal colony, where Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny served his jail term and where he died Friday. REUTERS
An hour later officials reversed course, claiming the probe had been completed.
“They literally lie every time, driving us around in circles and covering their tracks,” Yarmysh wrote on X. “It’s obvious that they are lying and doing everything they can to avoid handing over the body.”
Russians in cities and towns across the country have been leaving floral tributes for Navalny, a married father of two who survived an August 2020 poisoning attempt.
5 A memorial left for Navalny left outside of the Russian embassy in Berlin on Feb. 16, 2024. Photo by JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP via Getty Images
He rose to prominence by poking fun at the elites surrounding Putin and exposing corruption in the country.
Navalny had been locked up since returning home following the poisoning, which was widely assumed to have been an assassination attempt.
Videos shared online and by journalists in the region after Navalny’s death showed authorities forcibly removing people from areas where tributes were being given, with up to 212 people detained.
5 Navalny with his wife Yulia in a courtroom in 2013. AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky, File
Vice President Harris mentioned Navlany Saturday at the Munich Security Conference during an appearance with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, calling him “a brave leader who stood up against corruption, and autocracy.
“I met with his wife, Yulia, yesterday and express my outrage and sorrow in this fight,” Harris said, adding, “he stood up for the truth. The reports of his death are further proof of Putin’s brutality.”
with Post wires
Alexey Navalny died of ‘sudden death’ syndrome
