A giant banner for Navalny in front of the Russian Embassy in London (Reuters)

The Russian opposition group called on Alexei Navalny to hand over his remains “immediately” after his mother was officially informed of his death in prison, while the G7 foreign ministers stood for a minute in mourning for him during their meeting in Munich on Saturday.

Kira Yarmysh, spokeswoman for the Russian opposition figure - whose death was announced yesterday, Friday - reported that "one of the prison staff said that Navalny's body is in Salekhard," the town located in the Arctic region of Russia where he is detained, and that "investigators transported it to conduct research."

She added, "We demand that his body be immediately handed over to his family," noting that Lyudmila Navalanaya (the oppositionist's mother) went today to the "IK3" detention center in the Yamal region, where she received an "official document" confirming his death.

Yarmysh, who lives in exile, confirmed that “Navalny was killed,” adding, “His death occurred on February 16, according to the official document that was delivered to his mother.”

From a stand in front of the Russian Consulate in Munich to protest the death of Navalny (Getty)

A minute of mourning

This comes at a time when Italy - which holds the rotating presidency of the Group of Seven - said that the group's foreign ministers stood for a minute at the beginning of their meeting in Munich on Saturday to mourn Navalny.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Taiani said during the meeting - which was held on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Germany - that Navalny was killed "because of his ideas, his fight for freedom, and his opposition to corruption in Russia."

Tayani added, "Russia must shed light on his death and stop its unacceptable suppression of political opposition," according to what Reuters reported.

On the other hand, Russian police arrested about 15 people this afternoon, Saturday, during a gathering to honor opposition figure Alexei Navalny, according to what agencies reported from the “Sota” media website.

According to video clips posted by “Sota” on the “Telegram” application, masked police officers arrested “more than 15 people” who came to lay flowers at a memorial erected in memory of those they called “victims of Soviet political repression” in the center of the capital, Moscow.

The death of the most prominent opponent of the Kremlin yesterday, Friday, in the Arctic penal colony, where he was serving a 19-year prison sentence on charges of "extremism," sparked a widespread wave of condemnation in the West, as a number of officials held the regime of Russian President Vladimir Putin responsible.

Source: Al Jazeera + agencies