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Moscow Police Detain 4 Navalny Mourners Days After Funeral

Mourners at Alexei Navalny's funeral. Moscow Times Reporter

Moscow police have detained at least four people who attended memorial events dedicated to the late opposition activist Alexei Navalny, the rights group OVD-Info reported Tuesday.

Among those detained was Polina Orekhova, who said she had been charged with violating public assembly laws after she went to a Feb. 17 gathering of mourners paying tribute to Navalny. The charges carry a fine of up to 20,000 rubles ($219) or 40 hours of mandatory labor. 

Another person detained Tuesday was Yegor Komlev, who OVD-Info said attended the late activist's funeral on Friday, but it was not clear what charges he faced following his detention outside his home. 

The other two people — Yelena Gribkova and Yelena Levina — had already been detained on Feb. 17 at a makeshift memorial to Navalny. 

According to OVD-Info, at least 113 people were detained across Russia on Friday as Navalny's funeral took place, while thousands have since visited the Moscow cemetery where he was buried.

The Kremlin previously said that anyone who participated in “unsanctioned protests” following the activist's memorial service would “be held legally responsible.”

Navalny, President Vladimir Putin's most vocal critic, died on Feb. 16 at the Arctic penal colony where he was being held on charges widely seen as retribution for his political activism.

Russian authorities said he died of “natural causes,” but his family and allies have blamed his death on the Kremlin and President Vladimir Putin.

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