(NEWSnet/AP) – Hundreds of people gathered to bid farewell to Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny at a funeral Friday in Moscow, but under a heavy police presence.
The service came after a fight between his family and authorities over release of his body after his death in a penal colony.
His supporters said several churches in Moscow refused to hold the service before Navalny’s team got permission from one in the capital’s Maryino district, where he once lived before his 2020 poisoning, treatment in Germany and subsequent arrest on his return to Russia.
The Church of the Icon of the Mother of God Soothe My Sorrows, which was encircled by crowd-control barriers, did not mention the service on its social media page. But hours before the funeral was set to start, hundreds waited to enter the church under the watch of police who deployed in big numbers. Western diplomats were spotted in the long line.
After the hearse arrived at the church, the coffin could be seen on livestreamed footage being taken out of the vehicle, as the crowd applauded and chanted: “Navalny! Navalny!”
A photo from inside the church showed an open casket with Navalny’s body covered with red and white flowers, and his mother sitting nearby while holding a candle.
Burial is to be at the nearby Borisovskoye Cemetery, where police also showed up in force.
Russian authorities still haven’t announced the cause of death for Navalny, 47, who crusaded against corruption and organized protests as a fierce political foe of President Vladimir Putin.
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