Russia extends deadline for preliminary probe into Kremlin foe Navalnys death in prison, ally says | KLRT [Video]

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Russian authorities have extended the deadline for a preliminary probe into the still unexplained death of imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, his ally said Wednesday.

Ivan Zhdanov, director of Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, said on the messaging app Telegram that the deadline has been extended until April 20, which means that “there is still no official information from the government about the cause of death” of President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest foe.

Navalny, 47, suddenly died in February in a remote Artic penal colony, where he was serving a 19-year sentence on extremism charges widely seen as politically motivated. Russia’s penitentiary authorities said the politician “felt unwell” and fainted after a walk in prison yard, but no cause of death has been revealed to date.

According to Navalny’s allies, his mother was shown a medical certificate stating that her son died of “natural causes.” They and Western …