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The decision to increase Dmitriyev’s sentence from 3.5 to 13 years could effectively spell a death sentence for the 64-year-old historian. Conditions in Russian prisons are harsh and Dmitriyev has already been detained for more than three years.
Dmitriyev is convicted of sexually abusing his adopted daughter. Few doubt that the verdict is political. Russian writers and cultural figures have been campaigning for Dmitriev for several years.
The historian has already been acquitted of the charges of possession of child pornography. That trial ended two years ago. Six months later, Dmitriyev was arrested again and charged with sexually abusing his adopted daughter. The Petrozavodsk district court sentenced Dmitriyev to 3.5 years in prison. Since the total period of detention is deducted, Dmitriyev would have had to be released from prison in November.
Both Dmitriev and the prosecutor appealed the ruling to the Karelian High Court. The prosecutor demanded 13 years, while Dmitriev insisted that he was innocent.
Both trials have been held behind closed doors. Daughter Natasha, who is currently 14 years old, is hidden from the public. The allegations of sexual abuse were formally made by Natasha’s biological grandmother. She is the same grandmother who left her in an orphanage when she was two years old. There are many indications that it is the intelligence service that has persuaded the grandmother to cooperate.
Before the trial, the Russian state television channel Rossija-24 aired a report that, among other things, featured nude photos of Natasha. The images are proof. Everything indicates that the security service has intentionally leaked them.
Dmitriev’s own lawyer, Viktor Anufriev, who had previously succeeded in having him acquitted, was unable to attend the trial due to illness.
For nearly 30 years, Dmitriev has mapped Stalin’s mass graves in Karelia, a job that has been viewed with disgust by Russian security services.
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