Alexei Navalny, the late leader of the Russian opposition, was yesterday laid to rest in Moscow amid throngs of angry mourners who screamed his name and held the government accountable for his death in custody.
Some of his supporters cried aloud outside the cemetery where he was laid to rest, while others screamed anti-Kremlin slogans.
Despite a heavy police presence and official warnings, thousands of mourners paid their respects to the 47-year-old anti-corruption campaigner whose death in an Arctic prison was announced on February 16.
Navalny’s death has been widely condemned by Western leaders and his allies have accused President Vladimir Putin of responsibility and of trying to prevent a dignified public burial.
The Kremlin, which has dismissed the accusations as “hysterical”, warned against “unauthorised” protests around the funeral.
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Navalny’s body first lay in an open casket in a packed church in Maryino, southern Moscow, for a ceremony attended by his parents.
The coffin was closed immediately after the service, meaning many mourners who had wanted to file past were not able to pay their last respects at the Mother of God Quench My Sorrows church.
It was then transported to the Borisovo cemetery, near the banks of the Moskva River, where several large wreaths were arranged around the grave.
“We won’t forget you!”, “Forgive us!” some mourners shouted as the coffin arrived.
“No to war!” some chanted. Others yelled out: “Down with the power of murderers!” and “We will not forgive!”. Many opponents blame Putin for the death of his top critic.
Police detained some six people in the capital and dozens elsewhere in Russia, according to the OVD-Info rights group.