A Russian military court on July 15 convicted a playwright and a theater director and sentenced them each to six years in prison over a play that was found to “justify terrorism.” The judge found writer Svetlana Petriychuk and director Yevgeniya Berkovich, who had been in pre-trial detention since May 2023, guilty under Article 205.2 of the Russian Criminal Code. This provision makes the offense of “justifying terrorism” punishable by up to seven years imprisonment.
The basis for the prosecution was the play Finist the Brave Falcon. Its plot draws inspiration from the plight of Russian women who went to Syria in the mid-2010s to marry Islamist fighters and were convicted upon return to their home country. Berkovich and Petrychuk repeatedly stated that their play was intended to warn aainst of terrorism and not to justify it.
According to local media, the charges were based on contradictory statements by partially anonymous witnesses. After the prosecutor claimed the witnesses were threatened on social media, the judge conducted the interrogation of the accused and delivered the verdict behind closed doors. Journalists were barred from the courtroom from June 13 onwards.
In the eyes of the defense and human rights organizations, the real reason for the prosecution was retribution against the pair for their outspoken opposition to the war in Ukraine. Berkovic had published poems criticizing the war. Rachel Denber, deputy director for Europe and Central Asia at Human Rights Watch, stated on Twitter that the duo were convicted on “utterly absurd charges, in an unfair trial that is blatant retaliation against Berkovich for speaking out against Russia’s war on Ukraine.” Berkovich and Petriychuk said they will appeal the verdict.
The sentence comes amid Russia/s increasing persecution of cultural figures since the country’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
From Jurist, July 9. Used with permission.
See our last report on the crackdown on dissent in Russia.
Photo: StageRussia
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