In the Petrozavodsk City Court, which is again considering the case of Yuri Dmitriev, head of the Karelian Memorial, during the debate, a representative of the prosecutor’s office suggested sentencing him to 15 years in prison, thus increasing the term already set by the court by two years. This was reported on Friday, December 3, by the radio station Business FM with reference to the lawyers of the historian Viktor Anufriev and Roman Masalev.
According to the defenders, it is expected that on December 13, a representative of the victim will speak in the debate of the parties, who in the case is recognized as the grandmother of Dmitriev’s minor adopted daughter. “She shares the position of the prosecutor’s office,” said Viktor Anufriev. The defendant himself and his lawyers will speak on the same day. The defenders will be asked to acquit Dmitriev.
Case of the historian Dmitriev
The 65-year-old historian, who discovered the burial sites of thousands of victims of Stalin’s political repression in Sandarmokh and Krasny Bor, has been on trial since 2018. He was initially charged on four counts: sexual assault, pornography, sexual assault against a minor, and illegal possession of weapons.
In April 2018, the Petrozavodsk City Court acquitted Dmitriev of most of the charges, sentencing him to 2.5 years of restriction of freedom for illegal possession of weapons – parts of a hunting rifle were found during a search. The prosecutor’s office, the victim’s representative and the convicted person himself (he demanded a full acquittal) appealed against the verdict. The appellate instance sent the case to the court for a new examination.
During the retrial, on July 22, 2020, the Petrozavodsk City Court sentenced Dmitriev to three years and six months in prison for sexual assault against his adopted daughter. He was acquitted under three other articles: making pornography, indecent acts against a minor and illegal possession of weapons. Dmitriev was supposed to be released in November of the same year, as he practically served his sentence. However, the prosecutor’s office again challenged the verdict in a higher court.
In September 2020, the Supreme Court of Karelia increased Dmitriev’s term almost fourfold – from 3.5 years in prison to 13 years in prison, finding it proven guilty of sexual assault against his adopted daughter.
On three other articles, the case was separated into separate proceedings and returned to the Petrozavodsk City Court. Since October 2020, it has been listened to behind closed doors.
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