Navalny's allies accuse the Russian government of concealing his death

Police arrested people during Alexei Navalny's memorial meetings, and his allies accused the Russian government of covering up his murder and calling it a state-sponsored homicide.

Kira Yarmysh, a spokesperson for Navalny, stated that to prolong the investigation, officials provided the mother of the opposition activist with inconsistent information regarding the cause of his death and the location of his remains.

According to Yarmysh, Lyudmila Navalnaya received a telegram on Saturday informing her that her son had passed away on Friday at 2:17 pm local time.

Kharp, the village in northern Russia to which Navalny was transferred in December, was the penal colony where officials informed her via telegram that he had succumbed to "sudden death syndrome".

The mortuary and prison in Salekhard, a municipality located one hour's drive to the south, both denied possession of the body. 

Meanwhile, Navalny's attorney was informed by local investigators that they would continue to examine the body to determine the cause of death and would withhold it from his mother until the investigation was complete.

Navalny's death at the age of 47 has infuriated Western leaders and Navalny's supporters, who have accused Putin of culpability.

On Saturday morning at the Munich Security Conference, foreign ministers representing the G7, which comprises the seven largest industrialised nations, observed a minute of silence in memory of Navalny.