MOSCOW (AP) – A Bolshoi dancer who was convicted in 2013 for his role in an acid attack on the ballet’s artistic director has been paroled, his lawyer said Wednesday.
Russian news agencies quoted the dancer’s lawyer Sergei Kadyrov saying that Pavel Dmitrichenko was released on Tuesday after a parole commission upheld his request for an early release.
Dmitrichenko was found guilty of asking an ex-convict to attack Sergei Filin, who ended up losing much of his sight after acid was tossed onto his face outside his Moscow home.
Dmitrichenko was sentenced to 5 ½ years in prison in 2013.
The January 2013 attack and the ensuing trial revealed deep divisions at Russia’s most renowned theater. Some Bolshoi dancers sided with Dmitrichenko who insisted that he never contracted the attack, but only complained about Filin.