Moscow, Feb 18: Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny's spokesperson, Kira Yarmysh, has confirmed his death and demanded that his body be handed over to his family "immediately." Yarmysh accused Russian officials of lying in order to delay the process, CNN reported.

Yarmysh's statement comes after Russian prison service said that Russian President Vladimir Putin's critic Navalny died on Friday after he felt unwell during a walk in his prison and fell unconscious. The cause of his death is not clear.

In a post on social media, Kira Yarmysh said, "Alexey Navalny was murdered. His death occurred on February 16 at 2:17 p.m. local time, according to the official message to Alexei's mother," according to CNN report.

Yarmysh added, "We demand that Alexey Navalny's body be handed over to his family immediately." The exact location of Navalny's body remains unclear.

Navalny's mother and lawyer travelled to the penal colony where the Russian opposition leader was being held on Saturday to receive official confirmation of his death, CNN reported, citing Yarmysh.

Yarmysh said, "They waited for two hours, after which a colony employee came out to them and stated that the body of Alexey Navalny was in Salekhard [a nearby town], that investigators from the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation had taken it now, and that they were now conducting an investigation on it," CNN reported.

In a post on Telegram, Navalny's team said that the penal colony was closed despite the prison saying it would be open and that Navalny's body was there. Later, Navalny's mother and the lawyer visited Salekhard town. However, upon reaching the mortuary, they were informed that the body was not there.

Navalny had returned to Russia in 2021 from Germany, where he was undergoing treatment after being poisoned with Novichok, CNN reported. Upon arrival, Navalny was arrested on charges he dismissed as politically motivated.

On Friday, US President Joe Biden said that he is "outraged" by the reported death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. He blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin for Navalny's death.

(ANI)

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