Russian court orders arrest of opposition figure Navalny’s widow

By Emre Gurkan Abay

MOSCOW (AA) - A Russian court issued an arrest warrant in absentia Tuesday for Yuliya Navalnaya, the wife of dissident Alexei Navalny, who died in prison earlier this year.

The Basmanny District Court in Moscow ruled to arrest Navalnaya, who lives abroad, on charges of alleged involvement in an extremist group.

The cause of her husband’s death remains unknown due to unclarified circumstances from sources.

Following Navalny's death on Feb. 16, many European leaders and US President Joe Biden accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of being involved in his demise.

Navalny, a fierce critic of Putin, was detained and arrested at the airport in Moscow in January 2021 when he returned to the capital after receiving treatment in Berlin for alleged poisoning.

Last August, the Russian court sentenced Navalny to 19 years in prison for establishing an extremist group while he was in prison.

Officials said he was in jail for extremist activities, but most governments refuted the charge and said it was his criticism of Putin that landed him behind bars.​​​​​​​

*Writing by Gozde Bayar in Ankara