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By Ivor Bennett, Moscow correspondent

Dozens of supporters of Alexei Navalny have visited his grave to lay flowers and pay their last respects to the late Kremlin critic on his 48th birthday.

The opposition leader died in a penal colony in the Arctic in February, sparking outrage among Western governments.

Almost four months later, the cause of death is still unclear, according to his family.

His widow, Yulia Navalnaya, accused Vladimir Putin of ordering his murder, and last week his allies called for additional sanctions to punish the Russian president’s inner circle.

The Kremlin has repeatedly denied any involvement in his death. According to his death certificate, he died of natural causes.

Among those who gathered at his grave at the Borisovskoye Cemetery in southeast Moscow on Tuesday were Navalny’s mother Lyudmila and his mother-in-law Alla Abrosimova.

A video posted by SOTAvision on the social media platform Telegram shows a memorial service led by Dmitry Safronov, a priest who had previously been banned from performing spiritual duties by the Russian Orthodox Church for leading a similar service in March, on the 40th anniversary of the activist’s death.

According to the independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta, three police officers were deployed near the cemetery, but no arrests were made.

Navalny had been found guilty on numerous charges ranging from fraud to extremism and was serving a total prison sentence of more than 30 years at the time of his death.

His Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) is banned in Russia and is accused by the authorities of having links to the CIA.

The rest of his team now operates in exile.