Russia releases Putin foe Navalny’s body to mother

The body of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died unexpectedly in prison nine days ago, was handed over to his mother on Saturday in the remote Arctic city of Salekhard, his spokeswoman said.
In a video recorded before the release of the body, Navalny’s widow Yulia Navalnaya accused “demonic” Russian President Vladimir Putin of “torturing” the corpse of a political opponent.
Navalny’s allies urged supporters “not to relax” and his spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh, wrote on X there was no certainty that Russian authorities would let the relatives hold a funeral “the way the family wants and the way Alexei deserves.”
In her six-minute video published on YouTube, Navalnaya said she would continue the fight against Putin’s regime, questioned the president’s faith and accused him of holding her husband’s body “hostage”.