"Investigation into Navalny's death extended". This was announced by Russian investigators to the mother and lawyers of the late opposition leader, who died under unclear circumstances on February 16, AFP reported.
"It is not known how long it will last. The cause of death is still 'undetermined'. They are lying, playing for time and not even hiding it," said Navalny's spokeswoman Kira Yarmish.
Three days after the dissident's death, his body is still missing. Navalny's mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, and his lawyer traveled over the weekend to the notorious IK-3 "Polar Wolf" penal colony in Russia's Arctic north, where Navalny has been held since last year, to find his body, but received conflicting reports from various institutions for his whereabouts.
According to those close to Navalny, the reason for the conflicting information about the location of his body is that the Russian authorities tried to cover up the cause of the opposition leader's death.
BGNES recalls that Alexei Navalny died on February 16 in the Arctic prison, where he was serving a 19-year sentence. Western political leaders blamed the Putin regime for Navalny's death.
Despite the threat of reprisals, hundreds of Russians bowed to the cause of the opposition figure at various memorials in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Citizens of dozens of Western capitals also paid tribute to Alexei Navalny./BGNES
