Dmitriguev has been accused of sexually abusing his adopted daughter, according to authorities. The 65-year-old historian contradicts this. His supporters believe he is on trial for his investigation of Soviet-era atrocities.
The historian was arrested in 2016 and later on other charges. Four years later, he was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison. This sentence was raised to 13 years after a few months. Prosecutors also found him to be too thin and demanded an increased punishment. The judge in Petrozavodsk agreed to this request and increased the sentence to fifteen years.
As a historian, Dmitriguev has spent decades researching mass graves since the time of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. Then huge numbers of Russians ended up in the fearsome Gulag, the network of penal camps and labor. Stalin also claimed that his opponents were killed on a large scale.
Historian Dmitriguev is also committed to the memorial. The authorities are dealing with this human rights organization and fear that it will have to close its doors before the end of the year. Memorial says she sees Dmitrijeev as a political prisoner. The organization believes that the researcher is being held for “his work to keep memories of political oppression alive”.
