Navalny to be Buried on Friday; Concerns Over Possible Arrests During Ceremony

According to Alexei Navalny's spokesperson, the funeral and burial ceremony for the Russian opposition figure to Putin, whose death was recently announced in prison, will take place on Friday in Moscow. Reuters reports that Navalny's allies accused the Kremlin of obstructing their efforts to hold a larger ceremony on Thursday. Kira Yarmysh, Navalny's spokesperson, wrote on the social media platform 'X' that the ceremony for Navalny will be held on Friday at 2 PM at the 'Symbol of Mother God' church in the 'Marino' area of Moscow, where Navalny lived. Yarmysh stated that Navalny will then be buried at the 'Borisovskoye' cemetery, located on the opposite side of the Moscow River to the south. It remains unclear how Russian authorities will respond to the crowd. However, given previous gatherings of Navalny's supporters, there is a likelihood of heavy police presence, and Russian officials will disperse anything resembling political protests based on protest laws. Russian officials have labeled Navalny as 'an extremist supported by the U.S.' Navalny, 47, died on February 16 in a prison in the Arctic. His allies have accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of murdering him, claiming that the Russian leader could not bear the thought of Navalny's freedom in a potential prisoner exchange. According to Navalny's supporters, his death certificate states he died of 'natural causes.' Navalny's mother accused officials last week of trying to force her to hold a private rather than public ceremony for her son by withholding his body, a claim the Kremlin denied. Yulia Navalnaya, Navalny's wife, also told EU lawmakers, 'Putin killed my husband.' She stated, 'By his order, Alexei was tortured for three years. He was left hungry in a small stone cell, cut off from the outside world, and deprived of visits, phone calls, and even letters.' Yulia Navalnaya said, 'And then they killed him.' On Thursday, when Navalny's supporters initially wanted to hold his funeral, it coincides with Putin's speech to Russia's political elite. Navalny's supporters accuse Russian officials of not wanting Navalny's funeral to overshadow Putin's speech. They also accused officials of preventing efforts to secure a large venue for supporters to bid farewell to Navalny. Ivan Zhdanov, a Navalny supporter living outside Russia, wrote on 'X': 'Bastards. They won't give us the date we want. They won't give us the hall. In any case, everyone will say goodbye to Alexei.' The Kremlin has stated that it has no connection to the arrangements regarding Navalny's body. Joe Biden announced the imposition of 500 new sanctions against Russia. Russian officials handed over Alexei Navalny's body to his mother. Yulia Navalnaya urged Russian officials: 'Return Alexei Navalny's body to his family.' Navalny's spokesperson stated that Russian officials gave Alexei's mother an 'ultimatum' for her son's burial. The European Union called for a 'transparent international investigation' into Navalny's death and demanded new sanctions against Russia due to his passing.