Senior assistant to the head of the Karelian Investigation Department Vitaly Konovalov informed TASS that the Investigative Committee opened a new criminal case against the head of the Karelian "Memorial" Yuri Dmitriev under article on sexual violence against a minor. The maximum sentence is 20 years imprisonment.
The lawyer of the historian Victor Anufriev suggested that a new criminal case was opened after psychological examination of Dmitriev's adopted daughter. It was the reason for cancellation of the acquittal.
On June 27, Yuri Dmitriev was detained on his way to the Alexander-Svirsky Monastery. According to media, he violated undertaking not to leave Petrozavodsk.
On April 5, 2018, the court found Yuri Dmitriev innocent of the case of producing pornography. Under the article "Illegal possession of firearms," the judge imposed a sentence of two years and six months of restraint of liberty. After deducting the time that Dmitriev had already spent in jail, he was limited in freedom for three months. The historian was accused of producing pornography. According to investigators, Dmitriev photographed his adopted daughter naked. The defense believed that these were pictures from her diary of health for the child protective services. Experts shared this point of view.
On June 14, the Supreme Court of Karelia annulled Dmitriev's acquittal. After Petrozavodsk city court found Dmitriev innocent of producing pornographic materials depicting a minor, the adopted daughter was sent for a psychological examination. According to Anufriev, under pressure, she made a statement that she was upset and disgraced. This was one of the reasons for the cancellation of the acquittal. The lawyer called the fact that the child was involved in the case "abomination".
Yuri Dmitriev is the head of the Karelian branch of the Memorial Society, a researcher of Stalinist repressions. On May 12, he took part in the ceremony of presenting the Moscow Helsinki Group Human Rights Award. Dmitriev became a laureate for his historical contribution to the protection of human rights.
Daniil Kuznetsov, «7x7»
