Video: Alexey Navalny's Mother Offered Secret Burial for Her Son, Threatened with Body Desecration

Lyudmila Navalnaya, the mother of Alexey Navalny, was shown her deceased son's body. She spoke about this in a video message.

Lyudmila also revealed that investigators are demanding that the political figure be buried in secret, threatening to do "something" with his body if she refuses.

"I just came out of the Investigative Committee building in Salekhard. I spent almost a day there alone with investigators and forensic experts. I was only allowed to see my lawyer around noon today. Last night, they secretly took me to the morgue, where I was shown Alexey's body. The investigators insist they know the cause of death... They have all the medical and legal documents ready, which I have seen, and I signed the death certificate.

"According to the law, they should have given me Alexey's body immediately, but they haven't done that yet. Instead, they are blackmailing me, setting conditions about where, when, and how Alexey should be buried. This is illegal.

"In my presence, they receive orders either from the Kremlin or from the central apparatus of the Investigative Committee. They want this to be done secretly, without a farewell. They want to take me to the outskirts of the cemetery, near a fresh grave, and say, 'Your son is lying here.' I do not agree with this. I want those who hold Alexey dear, those for whom his death is a personal tragedy, to have the opportunity to say goodbye to him.

"I am recording this video because they have started to threaten me, looking me in the eyes, saying that if I do not agree to a secret burial, they will do something with my son's body. Investigator Voropaev openly told me, 'Time is not on your side; the body is decomposing.' I do not want special conditions; I just want everything to be done legally. I demand the immediate return of my son's body," Lyudmila Navalnaya stated.