Navalny's mother files lawsuit for release of son's body

The lawsuit comes a day after Navalny's mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, posted a video pleading for Russian President Vladimir Putin to release her son's body so she can bury him with dignity, Politico reported.

• "I am addressing you, Vladimir Putin," she said. "The resolution of this issue depends solely on you. Let me finally see my son. I demand that you immediately release Alexei's body so that I can bury him in a humane manner."

Details: Navalnaya filed the lawsuit at a court in Salekhard, the town near the penal colony where Navalny died, Russian state news agency TASS reported.

• The lawsuit was filed against Russia's Investigative Committee for failing to release Navalny's body, Politico reported.
• A closed-door hearing is scheduled for March 4, per TASS.

Catch up fast: Navalny spokesperson Kira Yarmysh said Monday that authorities had told the family that Navalny's body would not be released for another two weeks, pending "some sort of 'chemical examination.'"

• Navalny's widow, Yulia Navalnaya, accused the Kremlin on Monday of withholding his body so traces of the nerve agent Novichok — the same substance that was used in his poisoning in 2020 — could dissipate, NBC News reported.
• Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov called the accusations "absolutely unfounded" and "insolent," per AP.
• Moscow has rejected demands to release Navalny's body to facilitate an independent investigation into the circumstances of his sudden death.

Go deeper: How Navalny became Putin's biggest political foe