Alexei Navalny's body has been taken to the morgue, according to a Russian media outlet, where guards reportedly “mysteriously” searched prison cells the night before his death.
Many blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin for the opposition leader's death, which led to his killing It was reported on FridayCalls are growing for an independent investigation.
His body was taken to the morgue of the Salekhard District Clinical Hospital, Novaya Gazeta Europe reported, but as of Saturday no post-mortem examination had been conducted.
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A paramedic at Salekhard Ambulance Service told media that normal procedures did not appear to have been followed following his death.
“Normally, the bodies of people who die in prison are taken directly to the coroner's office… but in this case they were transferred to the clinical hospital for some reason,” he said.
“They took him to the morgue, brought him in, and then put two policemen in front of the door.
“Maybe they put up a sign saying: 'There's something mysterious going on here.'”
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While the death was first reported on Friday, an inmate told the newspaper that there was a “mysterious commotion” on Thursday night.
“It all started when they speeded up the evening search, and this usually happens on holidays when the guards are in a hurry to go and celebrate, but [that day] “It was not a holiday,” said the prisoner.
“Then they locked us up, prevented any movement between the barracks, and tightened security measures.
“We heard cars heading toward the prison grounds late at night, but we couldn’t see what they were through the windows of our cells.”
Punishment colony IK-3, where Alexei Navalny was detained. Photo: Reuters
He also said guards conducted an in-depth search of prisoners' cells on Friday morning, confiscating phones and other items.
Novaya Gazeta Europe's source said he believed the authorities appeared at fault for his death, claiming that the prison warden and chief of operations appeared distraught.
His mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, visited the prison – the IK-3 penal colony in Kharp, located in the Arctic Circle – on Saturday, while his wife shared a photo of them together on Instagram.
She was reportedly told he died of “sudden death syndrome,” but she was unable to see the body.
Meanwhile, the memorial remains on the Solovetsky Stone, in Moscow's Lubyanka Square, a monument commemorating the victims of political persecution.
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More than 400 people have been arrested at events commemorating Navalny, according to the rights group OVD-Info.
Diana Magnay, a Sky News correspondent in Moscow, said police had asked visitors to the memorial to go ahead and not stay at the memorial for too long.
