30 October 2009

The Office of the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation (RF) has Approved the Motion of the Head of the Russian Imperial House for the Rehabilitation of the Repressed Faithful Servants of the Royal Family and of Other Members of the House of Romano

The Office of the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation (RF) has Approved the Motion of the Head of the Russian Imperial House for the Rehabilitation of the Repressed Faithful Servants of the Royal Family and of Other Members of the House of Romanoff

On 17 July 2009, the attorney for the Imperial Family, G. Iu. Luk’ianov, as instructed by the Head of the Russian Imperial House, H.I.H. Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna, filed the following motion with the Office of the Prosecutor General of the RF:

A Motion for Rehabilitation

The Soviet totalitarian state was created after the Bolsheviks seized political and governmental power in Russia. Even so, the October Revolution did not alter the legal situation of members of the Royal Family and of those persons who accompanied them into exile in Tobol’sk. All of them continued to be held in custody and, as before, continued to be denied illegally their freedom.

Those arrested in Tobol’sk after 7 November 1917 included the following individuals:

  1. Botkin, Evgenii Sergeevich, family physician,
  2. Buxhoeveden, Sofiia Kaplovna, lady-in-waiting of the empress,
  3. Vereshchagin, Ivan, cook,
  4. Volkov, Aleksei Andreevich, valet,
  5. Hendrikova, Anastasiia Vasil’evna, lady-in-waiting,
  6. Gibbs, Charles Sidney (Ivanovich), English teacher, a British national,
  7. Gusev, Ermolai, footman,
  8. Demidova, Anna Stepanovna, empress’s maid,
  9. Derevenko, Vladimir Nikolaevich, physician,
  10. Dmitriev, Aleksei Nikolaevich, hairdresser,
  11. Dolgorukov, Vasilii Aleksandrovich, former Marshall of the Court [Hofmarshall]
  12. Dormidontov, footman,
  13. Zhivaia, Ekaterina, servant for Schneider, E. A.,
  14. Gilliard, Pierre (Petr Andreevich), tutor for the Heir Tsesarevich, a Swiss national,
  15. Zhuravskii, Franz, waiter,
  16. Zanotti, Magdalina Frantsevna, “kamer-kapfera”,
  17. Ivanov, Sergei Ivanov, footman,
  18. Karpov, Mikhail, servant,
  19. Kiselev, footman,
  20. Kirpichnikov, Aleksandr Petrovich, writer,
  21. Kokichev, cook,
  22. Makarov, Stepan, assistant to Chemodurov,
  23. Mariia (surname unknown), servant for Schneider, E. A.,
  24. Mezhants, Paulina Kasperovna, servant for Hendrikova,
  25. Mikhailov, Sergei, kitchen assistant,
  26. Nagornyi, Klementii Grigor’evich, servant,
  27. Nikolaeva, Viktorina Vladimirovna, tutor for Hendrikova,
  28. Piurkovskii, Frants, kitchen assistant,
  29. Rozhkov, in charge of the food cellar,
  30. Romanov, Anna Pavlovna, maid,
  31. Sednev, Ivan Dmitrievich, children’s footman,
  32. Sednev, Leonid Ivanovich, cook in-training,
  33. Smirnov, servant,
  34. Stupel’, wardrobe attendant,
  35. Tatishchev, Il’ia Leonidovich, Aide-de-camp,
  36. Tegleva, Aleksandra Aleksandrovna, children’s governess,
  37. Terekhov, kitchen assistant,
  38. Trupp, Alois Egorovich, footman,
  39. Tutel’berg, Mariia Gustavovna, in charge of lady’s wardroom,
  40. Tiutin, footman,
  41. Utkina, Anna Iakovlevna, maid,
  42. Kharitonov, Ivan Mikhailovich, cook,
  43. Chemodurov, Terentii Ivanovich, valet,
  44. Schneider, Ekaterina Adol’fovna, tutor,
  45. Ersberg, Elizaveta Nikolaevna, assistant to E. A. Schneider.

On 30 April, 1918 in the city of Ekaterinburg, Nicholas II, his wife Empress Alexandra Feodorovna (born a Princess of the House of Hesse and the Rhine), H.I.H. Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna, Dr. E. S. Botkin, the valet T. I. Chemodurov, and the chambermaid A. S. Demidova, were all placed under arrest.

On the same day, V. A. Dolgorukov and I. L. Sednev were also thrown into prison.

On 23 May 1918, the other members of the Royal Family were transferred from Tobol’sk to confinement in Ekaterinburg. Together with them were included a large number of loyal servants and others close to the Royal Family. In Ekaterinburg, immediately after their arrival, Tatishchev, Hendrikova, Scheidner, Nagornyi, and Volkov were placed under arrest. In the House of Special Purpose were placed H.I.H., the Heir, Tsarevich and Grand Duke Aleksei Nikolaevich, H.I.H. Grand Duchesses Ol’ga Nikolaevna, Tat’iana Nikolaevna, and Anastasiia Nikolaevna, the young boy Sednev, and the footman A. E. Trupp. Chemodurov was transferred from the Ipat’ev House to a prison in Ekaterinburg.

On the night of 16-17 July 1918, the members of the Royal Family were executed on the orders of, and in the name of, the government. Together with them were also executed Dr. E. S. Botkin, and their other faithful servants, A. S. Demidova, A. E. Trupp, and the cook I. M. Kharitonov.

In Ekaterinburg, V. A. Dolgorukov, I. L. Sednev, I. L. Tatishchev, and K. G. Nagornyi were shot without ever having been convicted of any specific crimes. A. V. Hendrikova, E. A. Schneider, and A. A. Volkov were taken from Ekaterinburg to the city of Perm’, where the Perm’ Executive Committee ordered them to be shot, without any determination of their guilt for any crimes.

On the night of 3-4 September 1918, A. V. Hendrikova and E. A. Schneider were executed near Perm’. A. A. Volkov managed to escape from the site of the executions.

On 9 March 1918, at a meeting of the Soviet of Peoples’ Commissars, the decision was made that H.I.H. Grand Duke Mikhail Aleksandrovich should be moved to Perm’ province.

On 10 March 1918, the Committee for the Revolutionary Defense of Petrograd ordered the commissar of Nikolaevskii Train Station to designate a sleeper car for M. A. Romanov, N. N. Jackson, and P. L. Znamerovskii, on a train bound for Perm’. Of their own volition, the valet V. F. Chelyshev, and chauffeur, P. Ia. Borunov accompanied Grand Duke Mikhail Aleksandrovich to Perm’. Seven soldiers conveyed the entire party from the convoy. All the aforementioned were kept under guard and were kept under the authority of the local Soviet authorities and the Perm’ regional Executive Committee for the Defense against Counter-Revolutionaries, Speculators, and Saboteurs.

In accordance with the decision of the Perm Executive Committee, it was announced on 9 October 1918 that Grand Duke Mikhail Aleksandrovich, along with other hostages, including Peter Ludwigovich Znamerovskii, Vera Znamerovskaia, Seraphim Semionovna Lebedeva, Petr Yakovlevich Borunov, Vasilii Fedorovich Chelyshev, Sergei Smirnov, and N. Maltsev (some names, surnames, dates and places of birth are not at this time fully known), had been shot while attempting to escape.

These facts were later confirmed by the materials from the investigation into criminal case № 18/123666-93.

The above-named persons, without having been charged with any crimes, were recognized in the territory of the Russian Federation after October 25/7 November 1917, as socially dangerous purely for political reasons and were deprived of their rights and freedoms, were placed in custody, and were put under constant surveillance by the Soviet authorities, and then in some cases were deprived even of their lives, without any kind of preliminary investigation or trial.

No crimes of any kind, no violations of criminal and civil laws, no breaches of any of the rules or regulations of local authorities were in any way committed and therefore warranted such extreme measures and punishments meted out to the above-named individuals.

These extreme and repressive measures were applied to the above-named individuals solely because, in the opinion of the authorities of the RSFSR, they represented a danger to the Soviet, totalitarian state and its political system because of their social class and religion.

Therefore, the facts above bear witness that the above-listed individuals were subjected to political repression and therefore deserve rehabilitation. The political repression of the above-listed individuals in the form of the deprivation of life and liberty, and also the loss of other rights and freedoms, was carried out by government officials who exercised governmental power and authority.

Considering the facts laid out above, and in accordance with Article 45 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation; with Article 10 of the Federal Law “On the Office of the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation”; with Article 1, paragraphs «b», «v», «e» of Article 3; with Articles 6 and 8 of the Law “On the Rehabilitation of Victims of Political Repression”; and with Articles 2, 5, 7 and 10 of the Federal Law “On Motions Made by Citizens”:

I HEREBY REQUEST:

  1. That a ruling be issued rehabilitating the following individuals:
    1. Botkin, Evgenii Sergeevich, family physician,
    2. Buxhoeveden, Sofiia Kaplovna, lady-in-waiting of the empress,
    3. Vereshchagin, Ivan, cook,
    4. Volkov, Aleksei Andreevich, valet,
    5. Hendrikova, Anastasiia Vasil’evna, lady-in-waiting,
    6. Gibbs, Charles Sidney (Ivanovich), English teacher, a British national,
    7. Gusev, Ermolai, footman,
    8. Demidova, Anna Stepanovna, empress’s maid,
    9. Derevenko, Vladimir Nikolaevich, physician,
    10. Dmitriev, Aleksei Nikolaevich, hairdresser,
    11. Dolgorukov, Vasilii Aleksandrovich, former Marshall of the Court [Hofmarshall]
    12. Dormidontov, footman,
    13. Zhivaia, Ekaterina, servant for Schneider, E. A.,
    14. Gilliard, Pierre (Petr Andreevich), tutor for the Heir Tsesarevich, a Swiss national,
    15. Zhuravskii, Franz, waiter,
    16. Zanotti, Magdalina Frantsevna, “kamer-kapfera”,
    17. Ivanov, Sergei Ivanov, footman,
    18. Karpov, Mikhail, servant,
    19. Kiselev, footman,
    20. Kirpichnikov, Aleksandr Petrovich, writer,
    21. Kokichev, cook,
    22. Makarov, Stepan, assistant to Chemodurov,
    23. Mariia (surname unknown), servant for Schneider, E. A.,
    24. Mezhants, Paulina Kasperovna, servant for Hendrikova,
    25. Mikhailov, Sergei, kitchen assistant,
    26. Nagornyi, Klementii Grigor’evich, servant,
    27. Nikolaeva, Viktorina Vladimirovna, tutor for Hendrikova,
    28. Piurkovskii, Frants, kitchen assistant,
    29. Rozhkov, in charge of the food cellar,
    30. Romanov, Anna Pavlovna, maid,
    31. Sednev, Ivan Dmitrievich, children’s footman,
    32. Sednev, Leonid Ivanovich, cook in-training,
    33. Smirnov, servant,
    34. Stupel’, wardrobe attendant,
    35. Tatishchev, Il’ia Leonidovich, Aide-de-camp,
    36. Tegleva, Aleksandra Aleksandrovna, children’s governess,
    37. Terekhov, kitchen assistant,
    38. Trupp, Aloise Egorovich, footman,
    39. Tutel’berg, Mariia Gustavovna, in charge of lady’s wardroom,
    40. Tiutin, footman,
    41. Utkina, Anna Iakovlevna, maid,
    42. Kharitonov, Ivan Mikhailovich, cook,
    43. Chemodurov, Terentii Ivanovich, valet,
    44. Schneider, Ekaterina Adol’fovna, tutor,
    45. Ersberg, Elizaveta Nikolaevna, assistant to E. A. Schneider.
    46. Znamerovskii, Peter Ludwigovich,
    47. Znamerovskaia, Vera Mikhailovna,
    48. Lebedova, Serafima Semenovna,
    49. Borunov, Peter Iakovlevich,
    50. Chelyshev, Vasilii Fedorovich,
    51. Smirnov, Sergei Nikolaevich,
    52. Mal’tsev;
    and that an official certificate affirming their rehabilitation be issued to the Head of the Russian Imperial House, H.I.H. Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna (Romanoff, Maria Vladimirovna);
  2. That a formal verification of the information provided above be conducted, and, on the basis of that formal verification, a formal, legal conclusion be issued, drawing on the materials collected in the verification process, in accordance with Article 8 of the Law “On the Rehabilitation of the Victims of Political Repression”;
  3. That, in the event that the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation deems that there is no basis for the rehabilitation of a person referred to above in this motion, he formerly deliver his ruling concerning the denial of rehabilitation, and refer the matter (and all materials collected in the investigation by the Office of the Prosecutor General), along with a copy of the ruling denying rehabilitation, to the courts, in accordance with Article 9 of the Law “On the Rehabilitation of Victims of Political Repression” (Part 3 of Article 8 of the Law “On the Rehabilitation of Victims of Political Repression”), and inform the Head of the Russian Imperial House, H.I.H. Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna, of the refusal to issue a certificate of rehabilitation and the legal grounds for refusing the rehabilitation of that said person;
  4. That, in the event of a refusal to send the case (and the materials collected by the Prosecutor General’s Office) and the accompanying ruling denying rehabilitation of one or more of the above-named individuals to the appropriate court in accordance with Article 9 of the Law “On Rehabilitation of Victims of Political Repression” (Part 3 of Article 8 of the Law “On the Rehabilitation of Victims of Political Repression”), he inform the Head of the Russian Imperial House, H.I.H. Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna, of the legal basis of such decision with references to the specific law or laws obtaining;
  5. That you please inform me in writing of the ruling on this motion filed by the Head of the Russian Imperial House, H.I.H. Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna, at the following address: 109004, Moscow, ul. Vorontsovskaia, d. 13/14, 1, Moscow Bar Association “Lawyer’s League.”

Appendices:

  1. Copy of the proxy dated 25 September 2006.
  2. Order no. 185, of 17 July 2009.
  3. The book In the Cellar of the Ipat’ev House:  The Rehabilitation of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers and the Defense of the Rights and Legal Interests of the Russian Imperial House, 1995-2008 [V podvale Ipat’evskogo doma.  Reabilitatsiia Sviatykh Tsarstvennykh Strastoterptsev i zashchita prav i zakonnykh interestov Rossiiskogo Imperatorskogo Doma v 1995-2008 gg.], A. N. Zakatov and G. Iu. Luk’ianov.  Documents and Materials [Dokumenty i materialy].  Moscow:  2009.  434 pages, with illustrations.

With deepest respect,

G. Iu. Luk’ianov
Attorney for the Head of the Russian Imperial House
H.I.H. Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna

Moscow, 17 July 2009

In accord with this statement, on 16 October 2009 the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation issued a ruling rehabilitating 52 servants and staff of Emperor Nicholas II, of his family, and of other members of the Russian Imperial House.

On 30 October, G. Iu. Luk’ianov received from the Prosecutor General’s Office a letter which informed him that the motion by Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna had been reviewed and approved.

To this letter was attached 23 certificates of rehabilitation for: Dr. E. S. Botkin, Baroness and lady-in-waiting S. K. Buxhoeveden, the valet A. A. Volkov, the lady-in-waiting Countess A. V. Hendrikova, the English tutor C. S. Gibbs, the maid A. S. Demidova, Dr. V. N. Derevenko, Prince V. A. Dolgorukov, the tutor P. Gilliard, the tutor for the Royal Passion-Bearer Tsarevich Grand Duke Aleksei Nikolaevich K. G. Nagornyi, the children’s footman I. D. Sednev, the cook-in-training L. I. Sednev, Adjutant-General Count I. L. Tatishchev, the footman A. E. Trupp, the cook I. M. Kharitonov, the valet T. I Chemodurov, the tutor E. A. Schneider, the gendarme colonel P. L. Znamerovskii, V. M. Znamerovskaia, the employee of the Petrograd Central Electric Station S. S. Lebedeva, the chauffeur for Grand Duke Mikhail Aleksandrovich P. Ia. Borunov, Grand Duke Mikhail Aleksandrovich’s valet V. F. Chelyshev, and S. N. Smirnov, the secretary and chief of staff for Her Highness, Princess of the Imperial Blood Elena Petrovna. As for the remaining 29 individuals, certificates of rehabilitation have not yet been issued because full biographical information is for them still lacking.

The rehabilitation was adopted in accordance with Article 1 and paragraphs “b” and “e”, and with Article 3 of the Law “On the Rehabilitation of the Victims of Political Repression.”

“The Head of the House of Romanoff believes that this decision by the Prosecutor General’s Office is fully legal and justified, and is consistent with both the spirit and the letter of the law,” the lawyer for the Imperial House said.

Earlier, in an interview with the New York Times, the Head of the Russian Imperial House was asked about her feelings about those staff and servants of the Imperial House who suffered political repression and why it was important that they be rehabilitated. The New York Times: “SMI reports that the Imperial House has asked the court to rehabilitate another 52 individuals. Can you confirm this information and speak in detail about some of those whom you would like to see rehabilitated, whom they served, and how their lives ended? Why is it important that they also be rehabilitated?” The Grand Duchess: “When the revolution happened, many officers, priests, courtiers and other servants became afraid and abandoned their emperor or the grand duke they served. We shouldn’t judge these people too harshly. After all, even the Apostles left the Savior when He was delivered to suffering and crucifixion. But against this background, the heroic feats of those who did remain loyal to the House of Romanoff at a time when such loyalty led not to favor and honor, but only suffering and death, looks all the more lofty and noble. To me, these are holy martyrs, whom I venerate as even I venerate my relatives who were executed. I did not immediately seek their legal rehabilitation because, first, we have been very careful to research and to assemble together archival documents and information, as much as is possible, for each individual who suffered repression, and, secondly, I wanted to give the families of these victims the opportunity to seek themselves the rehabilitation of their relatives. Since this did not happen, I instructed my attorney, German Luk’ianov, to draw up and file the appropriate paperwork. We have assembled information on all 52 individuals, but, of course, it would not be possible for me now to discuss in detail each case. I will mention just a few examples. Doctor Evgenii Botkin, a member of a prominent Russian family, was the son of the great Russian physiologist Sergei Botkin, whose name is borne by one of the most important hospitals in Moscow. The Bolsheviks offered Evgenii Botkin his freedom, but he refused to leave the Royal Family, even though he had no illusions about what lay ahead for him, and for all those who remained together with the Royal Family (as demonstrated by his letters to his family while in confinement). There were three servants of the Royal Family who were shot at the Ipat’ev House: the chambermaid Anna Demidova, the cook Ivan Kharitonov, and the footman Aleksei Trupp. They were simple and absolutely innocent people. Of course, for the Bolskeviks, the very fact of their presence with the Royal Family was already a crime. But in the case of Demidova and Kharitonov, these are rather common last names and it would have been rather easy for them just to disappear into the population. Nor would the German-born footman have attracted any special attention. But they all remained with the Royal Family and accepted their horrible deaths. General Il’ia Tatishchev and Prince Vasilii Dolgorukov, the lady-in-waiting Countess Anastasiia Hendrikova, the tutor Ekaterina Schneider, the sailor Klimentii Nagornyi, and the footman Ivan Sednev all followed the Royal Family, but were forcibly separated from them in Ekaterinburg and were shortly afterward executed. They were not with the Royal Family at the time of their executions, but they were truly martyred for their loyalty, just as Dr. Botkin and the others were. There were others among those close to the Royal Family who managed to survive. For example, Tsarevich Aleksei Nikolaevich’s tutor, Pierre Gilliard, a Swiss national; and the English teacher and British national Charles Gibbs, who became an Orthodox monk and priest afterward…But they were also victims of repression. They lost their freedom, they were ridiculed, their rights were trampled. And there are those, the fates of whom we know absolutely nothing. For example, there is the case of the cook-in-training Leonid Sednev—a young boy who, on the eve of the executions of the Royal Family, was, it appears, released. This case is sometimes cited as an example of the Bolshevik’s “humanitarianism.” But what happened to this young boy later on is entirely unknown. Some researchers have suggested that he later was executed. As you can see, in the list that I submitted to the Office of the General Prosecutor, there are representatives of all classes in Russia, of many nationalities, of various professions, and even of several different faiths. In this circle around the Royal Family, as in a drop of water, the entirety of our much-suffering people is reflected. The servants of the Imperial House were subjected to political repression and were executed because they retained their sense of duty and devotion to the ideals of Christian civilization. They were not criminals, but rather heroes and models to us to imitate. Therefore their right to their good name should be official established by the government.”

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