Lyudmila Navalnaya said investigators were trying to set conditions for where, when and how the prominent Kremlin critic would be buried.
Alexei Navalny's mother says Russian authorities are pressing her to bury the opposition leader's body “in secret.”
Lyudmila Navalnaya said in a video message posted on YouTube on Thursday that Russian authorities had allowed her to view her son's body in a morgue.
She said investigators were trying to “blackmail” her over the funeral of a Kremlin critic who died in custody last week and force her to hold a private funeral without mourners.
“They want this to be done in secret, without saying goodbye. They take me to the edge of the cemetery, to a new grave, and say, 'Here lies your son.' I want to. I don't agree with this,” she said.
There was no immediate comment from Russian authorities.
Navalny said he was taken to the morgue on Wednesday night and shown Navalny's body. On Tuesday, she appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin. “Let me see her son one last time,” she said, calling on authorities to release her body for her burial.
Navalny's team said the death certificate, which he also reviewed on Wednesday, listed his death as a natural cause.
Navalny, Russia's most famous opposition politician, died suddenly at the age of 47 last Friday in an Arctic penal colony. His aides and family claim the Kremlin killed Navalny, a claim Russia denies.
“Investigators claim to know the cause of death,” said Navalnaya, dressed in black and speaking in a calm voice in the video. “They prepared all the medical and legal documents, which I looked at and signed the medical death certificate.
“According to the law, they were supposed to hand over Alexei's body to me immediately, but they have not done so until now. , imposing conditions on how they are buried. This is illegal.”
Navalny's mother said: “I am recording this video because they started blackmailing me. I said I would.”
She quoted one of the investigators as saying: The corpse decomposes. ”
“I don't want special conditions,” she said.
“I want everything to be done according to the law. I demand that my son's body be returned immediately.”
“We can handle anything.”
Earlier on Thursday, Mr Navalny's widow, Yulia, shared a mourning photo of the couple's grieving daughter, Dasha.
“My sweet daughter. I flew to hug you and support you, and you are sitting there supporting me,” Yulia Navalnaya wrote in a post published on Instagram. wrote.
“You're so strong, so brave, and so solid. We can handle anything, my heart. I'm so glad you're by my side.”
Navalny has a 15-year-old son and a 23-year-old daughter, Dasha, who is studying in the United States. Dasha has repeatedly called for the release of his imprisoned father and even gave a speech in honor of his father at his award ceremony.
Navalny's widow did not immediately visit her children when his death was announced on Friday, instead visiting the Munich Security Conference, where she blamed her husband's fate on Russian President Vladimir Putin. He accused him of doing so.
The Kremlin has said it had nothing to do with Navalny's death and is investigating the circumstances. President Putin has not yet commented on it.