Italy's charge d'affaires laid flowers at the grave of Russia's late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who was buried in Moscow on Friday after his sudden death last month at a Siberian prison, where he was serving sentences totalling over 30 years.
"Navalny's funeral took place today," foreign minister Antonio Tajani said during a press conference at the foreign ministry in Rome.
"I sent our chargé d'affaires to lay flowers on the grave of this dissident to send a very clear message from Italy in favour of freedom of expression, democracy and human rights in Russia," Tajani said.
Navalny was buried at Moscow's Borisovskoye cemetery, buried in a grave decorated with green pine branches to Frank Sinatra's song My Way and the theme music from Terminator 2, his favourite film.
Earlier, Nalvalny's funeral was held the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God in the Moscow district of Maryino where he used to live.
Foreign dignitaries among the morners at Navalny's funeral included United States ambassador Lynne Tracy.
