Leaders of the G7 nations on Saturday called on Russia to "fully clarify" how Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny came to die in prison last week.
Their statement came hours after a spokesperson for Navalny's team said the Russian authorities had finally handed over his body to his mother following his death in an Arctic prison colony.
"We call on the Russian government to fully clarify the circumstances around his death," said the statement.
"We also pay tribute to the extraordinary courage of Alexei Navalny and stand with his wife, children, and loved ones," it added.
"He sacrificed his life fighting against the Kremlin's corruption and for free and fair elections in Russia."
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