Death of Navalny in Russia: questions and issues surrounding the opponent's funeral

On Saturday February 24, the Russian authorities returned the body of Alexeï Navalny to his family.

The opponent of Vladimir Putin died in a penal colony on February 16.

It remains to be seen how his funeral will take place. 

A portrait of Alexeï Navalny accompanied by flowers, left by Lyudmila Navalnaya, the mother of the deceased opponent, in tribute at a memorial in Salekhard, Russia, February 20, 2024. AP

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with our correspondent in Moscow,

Jean-Didier Revoin

Information regarding the return of Alexei Navalny's body is rare.

Supporters of

Alexeï Navalny

are forced to scan the networks of his relatives, who should soon announce the location, place and conditions in which the opponent will be buried.

At the end of the week, Alexeï Navalny's mother denounced the

blackmail of the authorities

.

Lyoudmila Navalnaïa

explained in a video that they refused to return

her son's remains

if his funeral was not secret.

Has an agreement been reached?

Nothing has been confirmed yet.

However, some sources on the internet claim that Alexei Navalny could be buried in a cemetery in the suburbs of Moscow.

When and under what conditions?

Members of his team in exile abroad say they will release full details in due course.

But the predominant thesis is that of a funeral which would resemble that of

Yevgeny Prigojine

, which only the family had attended, the authorities blurring the lines to disperse journalists and supporters of the former boss of Wagner between the different cemeteries of Saint -Petersburg.

The only thing that remains certain is that a few weeks before the presidential election, the authorities do not want Alexei Navalny's funeral to turn into a political platform for opposition forces.

Also listen to Alexeï Navalny, the Russian martyr

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