The Russian Investigative Committee has officially refused to investigate the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died in the Kharp prison colony in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District on February 16, 2024.
According to the agency, the prominent Kremlin critic died from a "combined disease" that led to fatal arrhythmia.
The news was shared by his widow, Yulia Navalnaya, who received an official notification of the decision last week.
The document from the Investigative Committee states that Navalny's death was caused by a combination of health issues, including high blood pressure with organ damage, heart muscle scarring, brain and lung swelling, and irregular heartbeats.
It also mentions other chronic conditions that Navalny allegedly had, such as pancreatitis, hepatitis, and spinal problems.
The report claims that when Navalny fell ill, he was taken to the prison’s medical unit. The doctors reportedly tried to revive him with CPR and artificial respiration, but their efforts were unsuccessful.
Yulia Navalnaya strongly disputes the official account.
She claims that when her husband first felt unwell, he was not taken to the medical unit but was instead sent back to a punishment cell. By the time he was finally brought to the medical unit, she says, he was already unconscious.
Navalnaya also noted that her husband had no history of heart arrhythmia and questioned the accuracy of diagnosing such a condition after his death.
Navalnaya is calling for a criminal investigation into her husband’s death and is demanding the return of his personal belongings, which she says have been withheld by authorities. She has filed 17 requests to have the items returned but has been repeatedly told that they are part of an ongoing investigation.
"There can be one explanation for this – he was killed, and now they are trying to cover up their tracks as much as possible," Navalnaya said.
