Russia: Navalny Body To Be Held for Two Weeks

The family of Alexi Navalny, the outspoken critic of Putin who recently passed away in a Russian prison, has been informed that his body will be withheld for a period of two weeks for "chemical analysis," according to a representative for Navalny.

The exact location of the body remains unconfirmed by Russian authorities, with attempts to locate it consistently thwarted.

Navalny's widow, Yulia Navalnaya, released a video on Monday, vowing to carry on her late husband's mission for a "free Russia."

In the emotional message, she directly accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of being responsible for her husband's death and alleged that the body was being held until traces of the nerve agent Novichok, which is suspected in the poisoning, had dissipated.

Despite Navalny's death being announced on Friday by authorities at the Siberian penal colony, where he was serving a 19-year sentence on charges widely seen as politically motivated, the family has faced obstacles in locating his body.

The prison mortuary and local authorities have repeatedly denied access.

The Kremlin stated on Monday that an investigation into Navalny's death was underway, with no conclusive results reported yet.

Navalny's spokesperson, Kira Yarmysh, later revealed that investigators had informed Navalny's mother of the two-week delay in handing over the body, citing ongoing "chemical analysis."

In her video address, Ms. Navalnaya expressed her belief that authorities were waiting for Novichok to disappear from Navalny's body before releasing it.

Navalny, a prominent figure in Russian opposition for the past decade, had collapsed after a walk and never regained consciousness.

International leaders, including President Joe Biden and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, have squarely placed responsibility for Navalny's death on President Putin.

Both the EU and the US are contemplating new sanctions on Russia in response to the incident, while the UK Foreign Secretary, Lord Cameron, anticipates similar measures from the G7 nations.