By Mark Trevelyan
LONDON (Reuters) – Alexei Navalny‘s spouse Yulia mentioned on Thursday that she and her daughter Dasha had been collectively and comforting one another following the opposition politician’s sudden loss of life final week in a Russian penal colony.
As hundreds of individuals added their names to petitions demanding the discharge of Navalny’s physique, Yulia Navalnaya posted {a photograph} on X exhibiting her and Dasha, huddled collectively in mutual assist.
Yulia was proven trying into the digital camera along with her hand over her mouth, and Dasha wrapped in a black coat and gazing sadly into area.
“My pricey woman. I flew right here to hug you and assist you, and you might be sitting and supporting me. So sturdy, courageous and resilient. We will certainly deal with all the things, my pricey one. It is so good that you just’re at my aspect. I like you,” she wrote.
It was not clear the place and when the image was taken. Navalnaya, 47, was in Munich final week when she realized of the loss of life of her husband, Russia’s finest identified opposition chief within the West.
Dasha, their older little one, is a scholar at Stanford College in the USA. Additionally they have a son, Zakhar.
Navalnaya has pledged to proceed her husband’s work and blamed President Vladimir Putin for his loss of life, an allegation the Kremlin has angrily rejected.
Putin has not commented publicly on the loss of life of Navalny, who was serving sentences totalling greater than 30 years on a collection of prices, together with fraud and extremism, that he mentioned had been trumped as much as silence him.
The Kremlin has mentioned it was not concerned in his loss of life, the circumstances of which it says stay underneath investigation.
MISSING BODY
Authorities have but to launch the physique to Navalny’s mom Lyudmila, who has travelled to the Arctic penal colony the place he was being held. She issued a video enchantment to Putin handy over her son instantly.
Lyudmila Navalnaya has additionally filed a lawsuit in search of the discharge of the physique, however Russian state media have mentioned her grievance is not going to be heard by a courtroom till March 4.
Rights organisation OVD-Data mentioned greater than 83,000 individuals had signed a petition it drafted to Russia’s Investigative Committee, urging it to tell Navalny’s kinfolk the place his physique is, and handy it over to them.
It didn’t publish the names of the signatories.
No less than 800 individuals have signed a separate petition initiated by a gaggle of Russian Orthodox monks, saying his household has the suitable to say farewell to Navalny and provides him a Christian burial.
The petition urged the authorities to respect Navalny’s reminiscence, not solely as an opposition politician however as a believer.
“Don’t overshadow the tragedy of his loss of life by refusing such a easy and humane request. Keep in mind that everyone seems to be equal earlier than God,” it mentioned.
“Refusing to launch the physique of Alexei Navalny to his household shall be perceived as a manifestation of ruthlessness and inhumanity. This determination may result in even larger pressure in society. We urge you to not go down this path.”
Most of those that signed the monks’ petition gave their full names regardless of the potential danger. In accordance with OVD-Data, almost 400 individuals in cities throughout Russia had been detained at gatherings in reminiscence of Navalny within the 4 days after his loss of life.
The signatories’ occupations ranged from legal professionals and programmers to life coach and a barista. One described himself as an “opponent of tyranny” and one other mentioned she was “only a one who finds this example painful”.
(Reporting by Mark Trevelyan; Modifying by Andrew Osborn and Gareth Jones)
