Cause of Alexei Navalny's death is still 'unknown,' says spokesperson

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny died Friday, according to prison officials. On Monday, his spokesperson said the cause of death was still unknown

Feb. 19 (UPI) — Three days after Russian officials said jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny had died, the cause of death was still unknown, according to his spokesperson who said his family has not been allowed to see his body.

Navalny, the most well-known critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, died Friday. Russian authorities at the Artic penal colony where Navalny was incarcerated said in a statement that he “felt unwell after a walk, almost immediately losing consciousness.”

He was pronounced dead by emergency medical doctors, and the prison said the cause of death was under investigation.

Navalny’s spokesperson, Kira Yarmysh, said in a statement on X on Monday that the investigative committee informed them that the cause of death was still unknown and that the investigation was ongoing.

“The Investigative Committee informed the mother and the lawyers that the investigation of the death of Navalny has been extended. They don’t say how long it will take,” she said.

“They lie, buy time for themselves and do not even hide it.”

She said in a separate statement that Navalny’s mother and lawyers had arrived at the morgue early Monday but were denied entry.

“One of the lawyers was literally pushed out,” she said. “When the staff was asked if Alexey’s body was there, they did not answer.”

Navalny, a former lawyer and anti-corruption activist, rose to prominence over his vocal criticism of the Putin regime and was convicted on embezzlement charges his team said were politically motivated in 2014 and was handed a suspended sentence.

As his fame grew, Navalny was poisoned in 2020. He fell ill on a flight from Tomsk to Moscow and was taken to Germany, where he stayed for several months for treatment.

On his return to Russia in January 2021, he was arrested on charges of violating his suspended sentence. He was later sentenced to more than 30 years on extremism and fraud charges, which is team also rejected.

In the wake of his death, 389 people in 39 Russian cities have been arrested over actions taken in memory of Navalny, OVD-Info, an independent human rights project in the country, said.