On Thursday, 28 December 2017, Yury Dmitriev was transferred to Moscow, under guard, to be assessed at the Serbsky Institute.
The report was confirmed that day by Victor Anufriev, Dmitriev’s defence attorney. No one had informed the lawyer; he learned of the transfer on Thursday after it had happened. Dmitriev flew into Moscow under escort about 4.30 pm.
At the hearing of his case at the Petrozavodsk City Court on Tuesday, 26 December, the prosecution submitted two petitions to the court: one, that another [a third] assessment be made of the photos of Dmitriev’s foster-daughter; two, that he himself be examined as an in-patient at a psychiatric institution.
The court upheld these petitions and appointed the Serbsky Institute to carry out the assessment in both cases.
On Wednesday, 27 December, the court ruled that the measure of restraint imposed on Yury Dmitriev be changed on Sunday, 28 January 2018, from continued custody at Detention Centre No 1 in Petrozavodsk to the accused’s guarantee that he would not leave the country.
Yury Dmitriev was arrested at his apartment in Petrozavodsk on Friday, 13 December last year. He was accused of preparing photographic pictures of his adoptive daughter Natasha. The historian’s defence, and experts who have testified in court, assert that the photos of Natasha were part of a health diary, maintained by Dmitriev for the adoption agency because of the girl’s serious malnutrition.
The trial began on 1 June 2017 at the Petrozavodsk City Court. Apart from creating pornographic materials using images of under-age children, Dmitriev was also charged under Articles 135 and 222 of the Russian Criminal Code (respectively, “Committing indecent acts without the use of force” and “Unlawful possession of a firearm”).
On 15 September, Judge Marina Nosova invited a St. Petersburg organisation, the Federal Department for Independent Forensic Assessment to carry out a second assessment of 9 of the 114 photographs taken of his daughter by Yury Dmitriev. Defence attorney Victor Anufriev was not satisfied with the court’s choice and on 3 October announced that he was formally objecting to the decision. The court turned down his petition.
The Federal Department for Independent Forensic Assessment is a commercial body with a statutory capital of 10,000 roubles [170 US dollars]. Anufriev was unable to locate a single employee of the firm. He insists that by law the court cannot entrust a forensic assessment to a commercial entity.
Gleb Yarovoi and Yelena Bayakina, «7x7»
Translated by John Crowfoot
