Irina Levontina, expert linguist at the Dmitriev trial, talks to Zoya Svetova for MBK Media about her work on the case and the pressures now faced by court experts.
Irina Levontina
Natasha “held firm: she did not utter a single unnecessary word”
Natasha’s health*
Further Revelations
In the weeks since the July verdict in Yury DMITRIEV’s trial we have learned more about the nature of the evidence and the tactics of the investigators and prosecution than in all the preceding months, from October 2018 and July 2020.
In “What We’ve Uncovered”, two long articles published in July by Novaya gazeta, Nikita Girin greatly expanded what we know about the background to the two trials.
Continue readingA Story for Natasha (film)
A short animated film made by Alexandra (Sasha) Kononova for her friend Yury DMITRIEV’s foster daughter Natasha. Under present circumstances, sadly, they are no longer in touch.
A Story for Natasha (7 minutes long)
The film, made by animators Sasha and Yury Mikhailin, has been entered for the ArtDocFest festival in Riga (Latvia).
Appeals lodged by all parties
Memorial in Moscow has just confirmed that the Defence and Prosecution have both appealed against the verdict and sentence pronounced on 22 July 2020 by Judge Merkov at the end of Yury DMITRIEV’s second trial before the Petrozavodsk City Court.
On 31 July Yury Dmitriev submitted an appeal, as did the prosecution. On 3 August, an appeal was lodged on behalf of the victim, Dmitriev’s foster daughter Natasha.
Dmitriev’s attorney Victor Anufriev confirmed that an appeal had been submitted with the intention of clearing his client of all charges. At present Dmitriev is being held, as before, in detention centre No 1 in Petrozavodsk.
What We’ve Uncovered [2]
<< THE SECOND TRIAL >>
The child’s voice failed to be heard not just by the chairman of Petrozavodsk City Council Bondarchuk, while the court heard the girl’s statement about how much she loved her adoptive father.
As for unlawful threat to privacy, the Karelian children’s ombudsman Sarayev did not, for some reason, try to sue Rossiya TV or REN TV channels for broadcasting the photos from the “health diary” to the entire country.
In short, local officials requested the continued persecution of DMITRIEV. After that nothing stood in the way of executing the ready-made scenario.
The Dmitriev Affair 