The trial of Yury Dmitriev, head of the Karelian branch of the Memorial Society, is currently taking place in Petrozavodsk. He is charged under Article 242.2 of the Russian Federation Criminal Code (“Use of a minor for the purposes of preparing pornography”) and Article 135 (“Perverted acts without the use of force against a minor”). The charges relate to photographs Dmitriev took of his adopted daughter, in a naked state, between the ages of three and seven. Dmitriev, a 61-year-old pensioner, has been held in a pre-trial detention centre for more than seven months. He denies the charges. Continue reading →