Russian police out in force ahead of Navalny’s burial

Reuters :
Police took up positions near the church where Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny is due to be buried in Moscow later on Friday as his supporters estimated over 1,000 people had gathered to say goodbye to him.
Navalny, President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest critic inside Russia, died at the age of 47 in an Arctic penal colony on Feb 16, sparking accusations from his supporters that he had been murdered. The Kremlin has denied any state involvement in his death.
Tension is high ahead of his funeral because the authorities have outlawed his movement as extremist and cast his supporters as US-backed troublemakers out to foment revolution. Previous gatherings of his supporters have been broken up by force.
There was heavy security at the church, an imposing white domed building in a south-eastern Moscow suburb, on Friday morning and it was surrounded by metal crash barriers with dozens of police vehicles parked nearby.
People carrying flowers arrived early to try to get in as the morgue holding his body began the process of releasing it to his relatives.
Around an hour and a half before the service was due to begin, his allies said over 1,000 people had gathered near the church to say goodbye to him. Reuters could not independently verify that figure.
A religious service for Navalny is due to be held at 1400 local time in the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God in the Moscow district of Maryino where Navalny used to live.
He is then scheduled to be buried at the Borisovskoye cemetery, around 2.5 km (1.5 miles) away on the other side of the Moskva River two hours later. The cemetery was sealed off with crash barriers on Friday morning.
Allies of Navalny outside Russia have called on people who want to honour his memory but cannot attend his funeral service to instead go to certain landmarks in their own towns on Friday evening at 7 pm local time.
The Kremlin has dismissed statements by his allies as provocative and warned that the police will uphold the law.
Navalny’s wife Yulia, with whom he had two children, has said she is unsure whether the funeral itself will pass off peacefully or whether police will arrest attendees. She is outside Russia.
Navalny’s mother Lyudmila, 69, is expected to attend his funeral. It is unclear who else will be allowed into the church for the service.
Rights groups have advised those who want to attend to take their passports and small bottles of water with them and told them to write down the details of lawyers who can help them in case they are detained and the mobile signal in the area is cut.