The body of Russian political activist Alexei Navalny has reportedly ‘gone missing’ after being handed over to authorities.
Mr Navalny’s family and friends claim his was killed on “direct orders” from President Putin and now they claim officials have been “lying” after they said his body would be in the morgue for them to say goodbye.
Mr Navalny’s spokesperson confirmed Saturday that the Russian opposition leader had died at a remote Arctic penal colony and said he was “murdered,” but it is unclear where his body is.
His death, less than a month before an election that will give Putin another six years in power, has removed President Vladimir Putin of his greatest political foe who organised mass anti-Kremlin protests and crusaded against corruption.
It has also deprived the Russian opposition of its most well-known politician and sparked a search for Navalny’s body, which his team said was not being returned to his family until official tests are done.
An official note handed to Navalny’s mother stated that he died at 2.17 pm local time Friday, Kira Yarmysh, Navalny’s spokesperson said. She added that an employee of the prison colony said that Navalny’s body was taken to the nearby city of Salekhard as part of a probe into his death.
More to follow, this is a breaking news story…
