Hearse drivers are refusing to take Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny’s body from the morgue to his funeral on Friday after receiving threats, his allies said.
Since the Kremlin critic’s death in prison almost two weeks ago, his team have accused authorities of trying to prevent him from having a dignified public burial.
“What a disgrace. Now the hearse drivers refuse to take Alexei from the morgue,” said Ivan Zhdanov, an exiled ally who managed Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, on Thursday.
Navalny’s spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said funeral directors had received threatening calls from “unknown people” warning them not to transport Navalny’s body anywhere.
Zhdanov said Navalny’s team would cope and find a solution anyway.
Navalny died on February 16 in one of Russia’s toughest prisons in northern Siberia, where he was serving a 19-year sentence on charges widely seen as political retribution for his opposition.
Authorities resisted handing the politician’s body to his family for eight days, in what his team said was an attempt to “cover up” official involvement in his death.
Russian authorities said Navalny died of “natural causes” but his team and some Western leaders have accused Putin of being directly responsible.
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Details of the funeral and how many mourners will be allowed to attend are still unclear, and there has been no comment from authorities on how it will be managed.
The Kremlin critic’s allies – who have promised to live stream his funeral service online – have accused the authorities of blocking a civil memorial service that they wanted to hold for him. The Kremlin has said it has nothing to do with such arrangements.
On Thursday, Navalny’s allies called on people who wanted to honour his memory but could not attend his funeral service to instead go to certain landmarks in their own towns on Friday evening at 7pm local time.
Judging from previous gatherings of Navalny supporters – whom Russian authorities have designated as US-backed extremists – a heavy police presence is likely and the authorities will break up anything they deem to resemble a political demonstration under protest laws.
Navalny’s wife, Yulia, has said she is unsure whether the funeral itself will pass off peacefully or whether police will arrest attendees.
Navalny’s allies have accused President Vladimir Putin of having him murdered because the Russian leader could allegedly not tolerate the thought of Navalny being freed in a potential prisoner swap.
They have not published proof to back up that accusation, but have promised to set out how he was murdered and by whom.
The Kremlin has denied state involvement in his death and has said it was unaware of any agreement to free Navalny. His death certificate – according to allies – said he died of natural causes.
Agence France-Presse and Reuters
