Thousands of Russians on Friday defied fear to turn out to bid farewell to opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
Navalny who was the Russian President Vladimir Putin’s most vocal critic died in an Arctic penal colony on 16 February.
Russian authorities had warned any protest would be illegal. But large numbers of police stood by as the crowd chanted Navalny’s name, or their opposition to the Russian president.
Supporters and relatives, as well as many foreign leaders, have blamed Mr Putin for his death.
Russian authorities deny the accusations and say Navalny died of natural causes. He had been serving a 19-year sentence on trumped-up charges.
Prior to the funeral there were fears that the authorities would crack down on Friday’s funeral proceedings.
There was a heavy police presence in Maryino, the area of Moscow where the funeral was held, home to Navalny and his family for many years.
Navalny’s team estimated that the line of people stretched well over 1km on a day when temperatures hovered at just above freezing.
Thousands chanted out “no to war”, “Russia without Putin” and “Russia will be free” – slogans that have previously landed many Russians in jail. No policemen intervened.
The memorial service began just after 14:00 Moscow time at the Church of the Icon of Our Lady Quench My Sorrows.
It followed complaints by Navalny’s team that the authorities had been making the arrangements difficult including even finding a hearse.
Hundreds began to arrive on Friday morning, and were later joined by foreign dignitaries, including the US, German and French ambassadors.
As the church bell tolled and Navalny’s coffin was brought outside, people tossed roses and carnations onto the hearse and cried: “We won’t forget you!”
Navalny’s widow Yulia, his children Daria, 23, and Zakhar, 15, and his brother Oleg – are all thought to be living abroad and were not present.
Yulia has recently declared she is going to continue his political work, meaning it is possibly unsafe for her to return to Russia, where Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation has been declared an extremist organization.
She shared a tribute on social media thanking Navalny for “26 years of absolute happiness”.
“I don’t know how to live without you, but I will try to do it so you – up there – can be happy and proud of me,” she said.
Navalny’s team at the Anti-Corruption Foundation provided a live stream of the funeral ceremonies.
The YouTube channel from which Navalny regularly addressed his supporters broadcast scenes from his funeral and more than a quarter of a million people tuned in throughout the day.
Navalny’s coffin was lowered into the ground at about 4pm to the sound of Frank Sinatra’s My Way and to an orchestral rendition of the Terminator 2 theme song.
By Friday evening, 45 people had reportedly been arrested across Russia for joining Navalny memorial events, a fraction of the hundreds arrested for paying tribute to him after his death.
