Each day, we’re posting the story of a political prisoner in Russia. Today, we’re telling you about our friend and colleague Yuri Dmitriev, a 68-year-old historian from Petrozavodsk, in the Republic of Karelia (northwestern Russia), who is a renowned researcher on mass graves from the Stalinist Great Terror years. His most significant discovery in 1997 was the Sandarmokh site, where thousands of victims were buried. This made Dmitriev a prominent figure in preserving the memory of Soviet-era atrocities. In 2016, he was arrested on charges of producing "pornographic materials," based on photographs of his adopted daughter, which he took to document her health as required by social services. Despite independent experts finding no signs of wrongdoing in the images, the case was pursued and seen by many as politically motivated due to Dmitriev’s exposure of Stalinist crimes. Although acquitted in 2018 of the initial charges, presumable pressure from higher authorities led to his re-arrest and new accusations of "indecent acts." In 2020, Dmitriev was sentenced to 13 years in prison, which was later extended to 15 years. As of today, Yuri Dmitriev has been in custody for more than 1300 days. His trial was symbolic of state repression against activists committed to uncovering historical truths. Memorial demands the release of Yuri Dmitriev and all other political prisoners in Russia. #1Day1PoliticalPrisoner #Russia #SetThemFree #PoliticalPrisoners #Memorial