ITAR-TASS: The House of Romanoff Receives the Report on the Criminal Investigation into the Deaths of the Imperial Family

Moscow, October 27. ITAR-TASS. Representatives of the Russian Imperial House of Romanoff today received a copy of the report on the closing of the criminal investigation into the remains of the members of the Imperial family. The lead investigator, Wladimir Solov’ev, handed over three volumes of materials—more than 800 pages—to German Luk’ianov, the attorney for the Imperial family, and to Alexander Zakatov, a representative of the Imperial House.

At a joint press conference in Moscow, German Luk’ianov promised that the report would be studied and a statement would soon be issued on the report’s conclusion that the Ekaterinburg remains belong to the Imperial family. “But that will only be after the New Year, inasmuch as there are 800 pages that need to be read carefully and analyzed thoroughly. If we have any questions, we may ask to review other materials related to the case,” the lawyer said.

Alexander Zakatov, in turn, noted that, for the Russian Imperial House, it will be vital to ascertain the position of the Russian Orthodox Church.

“No members of the Imperial House have ever questioned the results of the analyses, but if there are questions, they need to be resolved so that consensus is achieved among all societal and governmental groups. If the position of the Church ever changes [the Russian Orthodox Church previously did not recognize the authenticity of the Imperial remains because not all of its questions about this identification had been answered to its satisfaction—ITAR-TASS], then the Imperial House would be quite pleased,” said Zakatov.

“Both the Church and the Russian Imperial House are in solidarity not because they reject the results of the scientific studies, but because there remain several unanswered questions,” he added.

“Until the Church has found there to be sufficient grounds to recognize without any doubts that these are the remains of the Imperial Family, millions of Orthodox faithful will continue to follow the position of the Church, including the members of the Russian Imperial House,” Zakatov stated, adding “the Imperial House is the representative of the Orthodox Imperial Dynasty, and it cannot simply ignore the opinion of the Church.”

According to Luk’ianov and Zakatov, Grand Duchess Maria Wladimirovna, who is the Head of the Russian Imperial House and whose motion in court led to today’s handing over of the report, intends to publish these materials, so that it will be accessible to any and all who would want to examine the report and decide for themselves the truth of the matter. The lead investigator, Wladimir Solov’ev, pointed out that these materials cannot be published in any form without the expressed permission of the Investigative Committee, since the report is an official document produced by the Committee. “You will have to seek the permission from the Investigative Committee first,” he said.

Zakatov responded that, inasmuch as Maria Wladimirovna and her son are citizens of Russia, they will “proceed in strict accordance with the laws of the Russian Federation.” “They will not violate or in any way evade the laws. If it is necessary, we will again seek redress in a court of law,” Zakatov said.

German Luk’ianov noted that the handing over of the report was a significant historical event and the culmination of more than 16 years of legal efforts on the part of the House of Romanoff. He recalled the fact that, at the time of the burial of Nicholas II, his wife, and his children, there was not even a death certificate issued, something which is necessary and done for every person.

For the original story, see http://www.itar-tass.com/c1/257788.html