Alexei Navalny's widow Yulia Navalnaya's account on X social media platform was blocked for a brief period on Tuesday. Navalny's spokesperson retweeted a screenshot of the suspended X account. The message on Navalnaya's handle read, "X suspends accounts which violate the X rules". Another X user claimed that “When opening the page @yulia_navalnaya, a notification appears that the account is suspended.”
However, Navalnaya's account X was reportedly "unblocked" about half an hour later. Accounts of Navalny’s aides, such as spokesperson Kira Yarmysh, did not appear to have been affected.
It was not immediately clear why Navalnaya’s account was briefly suspended. Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation tagged X owner Elon Musk in a post to ask “exactly which rules were violated” by Yulia Navalnaya.
There hasn't been any response from X press team yet.
Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, had earlier in the day demanded the release of Alexei’s body. "I don't care how the killer's press secretary comments on my words. Give back Alexei’s body and let him be buried with dignity, don’t stop people from saying goodbye to him," she said in a post on X before her account was suspended.
Navalnaya accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of having her husband murdered. She used a video message from abroad on Monday to call on opposition supporters to oppose the Kremlin chief with greater fury than ever and free Russia from what she characterised as a corrupt elite of "bandits in uniform, thieves and murderers".
Putin, Russia's paramount leader for over 20 years, is expected to easily win another six-year term in power next month. He has not yet spoken publicly about Navalny's death, but the Kremlin has denied involvement and has said an investigation is underway to determine what happened.
At a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday, the transcript of which was supplied on Tuesday by a spokeswoman, Yulia Navalnaya was quoted by Reuters as saying: "Do not recognise these elections. A president who assassinated his main political opponent cannot be legitimate by definition."
Navalnaya said details and evidence of why and how Navalny was killed will be released soon by her late husband's allies.
Western leaders, including US President Joe Biden, have blamed Putin for the death and warned of consequences. They have given no evidence.Elon Musk's X briefly suspends account of Alexei Navalny's widow Yulia Navalnaya.
(With inputs from agencies)
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