Russia spares Gulag historian long jail term, but convicts him of sex charge

Russian historian Yuri Dmitriev, who was charged with sexually abusing his adopted daughter, is escorted by police officers after a court hearing in Petrozavodsk, Russia July 22, 2020, in this screen grab taken from a video. REUTERS/Anton Vaganov THIS PICTURE WAS PROCESSED BY REUTERS TO ENHANCE QUALITY. AN UNPROCESSED VERSION HAS BEEN PROVIDED SEPARATELY TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

PETROZAVODSK/MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Russian court found a historian guilty of sexually assaulting his adopted daughter on Wednesday, but said he would be freed in November, a verdict his lawyer and supporters disputed saying it was based on a fabricated case to punish him for his work.

State prosecutors had sought a 15-year jail term for Yuri Dmitriev, 64, a historian who has unearthed Stalin-era mass graves and chronicled state repressions.