Body of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny released to family; funeral pending

Feb. 24 (UPI) -- The body of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny has been released to his family, his spokesperson said Saturday, but it remained unclear if officials will allow a funeral.

Kira Yarmysh, the Navalny family's chief spokesperson, said in a post on X that his body was "handed over to his mother. Many thanks to all those who demanded this with us."

But, she added, "the funeral is still pending. We do not know if the authorities will interfere to carry it out as the family wants and as Alexey deserves."

More than 82,000 Russians signed a petition asking Russian officials to return Navalny's body to his family, The Guardian reported.

Navalny, 47, was serving a 19-year prison sentence in an Arctic penal facility when he died this month.

U.S. President Joe Biden and many other Western leaders blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin for Navalny's death.

Russia's Federal Prison Service said Navalny fell ill after a walk and an emergency medical team's couldn't revive him after performing appropriate resuscitation procedures.

A day prior to his death, Navalny remotely attended via video link for a court proceeding, which his mother said showed he was healthy.

He was hailed by supporters as Russia's most outspoken Kremlin critic.

In 2020 he survived an attempt on his life when he was poisoned by a military-grade nerve agent while on a business trip in Russia.

Navalny unsuccessfully sought political office and in 2022 was convicted of embezzlement, which was one of several criminal cases Russian prosecutors filed against him. He was serving a 2 1/2-year sentence for parole violations when he was tried and convicted of embezzlement.

Russian officials in January 2021 detained Navalny when he returned to Russia from the poisoning attempt that he said Kremlin officials ordered. His arrest spurred protests across Russia.