Russia turns down exoneration of Romanovs

The Supreme Court of Russia said in its landmark ruling that it will not exonerate members of the Romanov dynasty who were executed in 1918. The verdict came out  Thursday in response to an appeal by Grand Duchess Maria Vladmirovna Romanova, Itar-Tass reported. Ria Novosti said the Prosecutor General’s Office had twice rejected demands that the family of the last czar, Nicholas II, be recognized as victims of political oppression.Public prosecutors said the killing of the Romanovs is widely known to be abuse of office by regional authorities and that no formal decision was made to kill the Romanovs. The Russian Imperial House in exile still insists the killings were a state-sponsored execution.