Widow of Navalny accuses Putin of mocking Christianity for refusing to return her husband’s body

By The Associated Press

The widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has accused President Vladimir Putin of mocking Christianity by trying to force his mother to agree to a secret funeral after his death in a penal colony. Yulia Navalnaya said in a video released Saturday that Navalny’s mother, who wants her son’s body returned to her, is being “literally tortured” by authorities who had threatened to bury Navalny in the Arctic prison. Authorities suggested to his mother that she does not have much time to make a decision because the body is decomposing. Russians on social media say officials do not want to return Navalny’s body to his family because they fear a public show of support for him.