Navalny's widow accuses Putin of murder cover-up
Alexei Navalny's family has received the official report concerning his death. The announcement was made by the politician's widow, Yulia Navalnaya, who stated that the document consists of three pages but contains no truth.
The death certificate presented to Navalny's mother indicates that his death was due to natural causes. However, the politician's family and close associates continue to demand access to the expert analysis results and the return of Alexei's personal belongings, which they have yet to receive. Navalny's wife insists that the dissident did not die from any illnesses and is calling for a criminal investigation. Additionally, the family plans to conduct an independent investigation.
"We received these three pages last week, six months after my husband's death. This is the decision of the Yamalo-Nenets Investigative Committee, signed by the same Major Varapayev who refused to hand over Alexei's body to his mother, pressuring her to accept a secret burial. Major Varapayev is the one who reports that Navalny's death was not criminal in nature but was the result of combined illnesses. As a result, the case was closed without a criminal investigation into Alexei's death," said Yulia Navalnaya.
The cause of death listed in the certificate is considered absurd by the politician's family, associates, and former doctor.
"They claim that death was caused by a so-called combined illness, composed of a dozen different diseases: from cholecystitis to intervertebral hernia and staphylococcus aureus. The cause of death was listed as arrhythmia. Tell me, how could you establish arrhythmia during the autopsy? Heart rhythm is impossible to determine post-mortem, and while alive, Alexei had no heart problems," said the widow.
Yulia Navalnaya noted that from the very beginning, the family and their lawyers have tried to obtain the examination results, medical records, and surveillance footage, but without success. The family has not even received his personal belongings—clothes, books, not even the small cross that Navalny had.
"This is yet another pathetic attempt to cover up what happened: a murder. And all those who fabricate these documents and write these false reports are complicit in this crime. Most importantly, it is clear that as long as Putin is in power, the Investigative Committee and FSB will not conduct any investigation. They have only one task: to hide everything, lie, and cover for their boss," she added.
Alexei Navalny died suddenly on February 16 in a maximum-security prison near the Arctic Circle, two thousand kilometres from Moscow. Following this, over 40 countries called for an independent investigation into the circumstances of the tragedy. The European Parliament adopted a resolution that classifies Navalny's death as murder and personally holds Vladimir Putin responsible for it.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
