Court adds almost 10 years to historian Yuri Dmitriev’s prison sentence

Karelia’s Supreme Court has overturned historian Yuri Dmitriev’s 3.5-year prison term and sentenced him to 13 years in prison under a criminal conviction for violent sexual acts. This was reported to Mediazona by Igor Perov, the lawyer representing Dmitriev’s foster daughter.

According to rights group Memorial, Dmitriev’s lawyer, Viktor Anufriev, wasn’t present during the trial. Instead, he was given an appointed representative, lawyer Artem Cherkasov.

Dmitriev’s initial 3.5 year prison sentence was handed down to him on July 22, 2020, when the Petrozavodsk City Court found him guilty of committing violent sexual actions against his underage foster daughter. Dmitriev was acquitted of felony charges of creating child pornography and illegally owning a firearm. Given the time Dmitriev had already served in pretrial detention, he was expected to go free in November 2020.

Karelia’s Supreme Court began considering the appeals against Dmitriev’s sentence on September 22. The prosecutor’s office challenged the sentence, seeking the 13 year prison term, as did Dmitriev’s defense lawyers, who sought his acquittal.

In addition to adding nearly 10 years to Dmitriev’s sentence, the Karelian Supreme Court overturned the Petrozavodsk City Court’s decision to acquit Dmitriev of felony charges of creating child pornography and illegal weapons possession. The case has been sent back to the Petrozavodsk City Court for a retrial, reports the outlet Stolitsa na Onego.ru, citing lawyer Igor Perov.

On September 28, the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta published a letter on its website, which was signed by a group of almost 250 cultural figures, who demanded that Dmitriev’s case be transferred to another region.