Support groups have announced that Russian authorities have told the relatives of Navalny, the Russian opposition leader who died in prison, that they will not be able to hand over his body for 14 days. Meanwhile, calls for an investigation into the truth are increasing, with more than 60,000 comments from citizens requesting that the bodies be returned to the bereaved families.
Russian authorities announced on the 16th that Mr. Navalny, an opposition leader who continued to criticize Russia's Putin regime, had died in prison.
A spokesperson for Navalny's support group said on social media on the 19th that authorities had notified Navalny's mother and others that the body could not be handed over for an additional 14 days to examine the body. continues to be unable to be verified.
In response, Russian Presidential Spokesperson Peskov said regarding the return of the bodies to the families, ``We are not involved in this matter. This is not the government's duty.''
Meanwhile, Russian human rights groups have received more than 60,000 opinions from citizens asking the Federal Investigative Committee to return the bodies to the families of the deceased, and calls for the truth to be investigated are increasing.
Navalny's wife, Yulia, released a video message on the 19th saying, ``Vladimir Putin killed my husband.The reason we are not handing over the body is because we are waiting for the traces of poison to disappear.'' He strongly criticized the Putin administration for its involvement in his death.
She then stated that she would "continue to fight for the homeland," indicating that she would continue to campaign against the Putin regime on Navalny's behalf.
President Biden: ``Considering additional sanctions against Russia''
In response to Navalny's death, US President Biden was asked by reporters at the White House on the 19th whether he was considering imposing sanctions on Russia, saying, ``We are considering additional sanctions. "Yes," I answered.
On the 16th, President Biden harshly criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin over Navalny's death, and expressed his intention to take some countermeasures in the future.
President Biden also commented on the fact that an emergency budget bill that includes military aid to Ukraine has stalled in Congress due to opposition from opposition parties and the Republican Party, saying, ``Republicans are making a big mistake. "They are trying to turn their backs on us," he said, criticizing the opposition party's response once again.