Navalny’s body handed over to his mother

The body of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been handed over to his mother after a tense nine-day wait, his aide confirmed on Saturday.

This comes after an ultimatum was reportedly issued to Navalny’s mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, giving her three hours to agree to a secret funeral without a public farewell. Nevertheless, she resisted pressure from Russian officials. Navalnaya, on Thursday, mentioned being allowed to see her son’s body but claimed continued pressure to accept a discreet burial for the late Putin critic.