Alexei Navalny’s mother sues for release of son’s body

The mother of the deceased Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Lyudmila Navalnaya, has filed a lawsuit against Russia’s Investigative Committee for failing to release her son’s body, Russian state news agency Tass reported on Wednesday.

The Salekhard city court reportedly stated the “complaint was filed against illegal actions and decisions.” A closed-door hearing is scheduled for March 4.

Navalnaya travelled to the IK-3 penal colony in the Arctic after receiving news of her son’s death, and has been trying to retrieve the body since Saturday.

The lawsuit comes a day after Lyudmila Navalnaya made a passionate plea to President Vladimir Putin: “Let me finally see my son. I demand the immediate release of Alexei’s body so that I can bury him with dignity.”

On Monday, Russia’s Investigative Committee announced it would not release Navalny’s body because it was sent for a 14-day examination. His mother was reportedly told her son died of “sudden death syndrome.”

Navalny’s wife has accused authorities of withholding the body to conceal evidence of traces of poison.