Russia: More than 400 detained at vigils for Navalny

Navalny supporters who attended events held to commemorate his death were detained in dozens of cities across Russia.

Police in Russia detained people mourning Navalny’s death in 36 cities

Authorities in Russia have detained more than 400 people who participated in demonstrations held in memory of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Supporters of Navalny were detained in 36 cities including Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Belgorod as they held protests to mark Navalny’s death, according to pro-rights group OVD-Info.

The death of the Russian opposition leader has been confirmed by Navalny’s allies, but they say the Russian government is refusing to hand over his body.

The 47-year-old former lawyer fell unconscious and died on Friday after a walk at the “Polar Wolf” penal colony in Kharp, about 1,900 kilometers (1,200 miles) northeast of Moscow, where he was serving a three-decade sentence, the prison service said.

Navalny’s wife Yulia on Sunday posted a picture of them together on social media with the words: “I love you.”

Circumstances of Navalny’s death unknown

The Kremlin has said that the cause of Navalny’s death in prison is being investigated.

Navalny’s relatives have not yet been granted access to his body.

The independent Russian-language newspaper Novaya Gazeta Europe reported Sunday that Navalny’s body is lying in the district hospital in the northern Siberian town of Salekhard directly on the Arctic Circle,

No autopsy had been conducted on the dissident up to Saturday, the anti-government newspaper said, citing an anonymous informant.

Novaya Gazeta, which is currently being published from Latvia, said an emergency services worker had reported blue marks on the body.

A bruise on his chest was evidence of attempts at resuscitation, the informant said, although that person did not see Navalny’s body after death.

While the West has blamed the Russian leadership for Navalny’s death, Moscow denies any involvement.

“There are still no results of the forensic investigation, but the West is already drawing its conclusions,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

In August 2020, Navalny was treated at a Berlin hospital after being poisoned with the Novichok nerve agent.

But he returned to Russia a few months later and was arrested upon his return and convicted in multiple cases that his supporters say were politically motivated.

Reaction from Munich Security Conference to Nalvany’s death

Human rights activists have termed his death a murder, and Navalny’s death has drawn condemnation from leaders of several countries, including US President Joe Biden.

Bill Browder, the American-born British co-founder of Hermitage Capital Management and an adamant critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, spoke to DW at the Munich Security Conference (MSC) about Navalny’s death.

Browder said “Putin killed Alexei Navalny” and the “purpose of this murder is to send a message to anybody in Russia who’s even thinking about Vladimir Putin that if you challenge Vladimir Putin, you will be killed.”

The apparent targeting of Navalny was “absolutely going to suppress and repress the Russian people, sadly,” Browder said.

mm, mfi/rc (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)