Russian playwright and director go on trial over ‘justifying terrorism’
Al Jazeera
Director Yevgeniya Berkovich and writer Svetlana Petriychuk were arrested over their play entitled Finist, the Brave Falcon.
A Russian playwright and theatre director accused of “justifying terrorism” have told a Moscow court that they are innocent on the first day of their trial over the staging of an award-winning play.
The arrest of director Yevgeniya Berkovich and writer Svetlana Petriychuk in May last year sent shock waves through Russia’s artistic community, which has faced increasing pressure from the Kremlin since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Prosecutors have charged the pair over their play Finist, the Brave Falcon, about Russian women who were lured to marry Islamic State militants in Syria and imprisoned upon returning to Russia. It has been awarded two prestigious Golden Mask awards.
Berkovich, 39, has also written poems criticising Russia’s military offensive in Ukraine.
They face up to seven years in prison if found guilty.
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