A Russian military court has sentenced director Yevgeniya Berkovich and playwright Svetlana Petriychuk to six years in jail, convicting them under Part 2 of Article 205.2 of the Russian Criminal Code for allegedly justifying terrorism through their play “Finist The Brave Falcon”. This legal provision can carry penalties of up to seven years in prison.
The play, inspired by Russian women who married Islamist fighters in Syria and faced convictions upon their return, aims to warn against terrorism, according to the defendants. However, the prosecution based its charges on statements from partially anonymous witnesses, leading to a contentious courtroom atmosphere. The judge, citing the prosecutor’s claims that witnesses had been threatened on social media, held the interrogations and delivered the verdict behind closed doors, barring journalists from attendance starting on June 13.
Both Berkovich and Petriychuk had been held in pre-trial detention since May 2023. Their defense and various Human Rights organizations argue that the prosecution was retaliatory, primarily targeting Berkovich due to her outspoken criticisms of Russia’s military actions in Ukraine. Rachel Denber, Deputy Director for Europe and Central Asia at Human Rights Watch, described the charges as “utterly absurd” and the trial as a blatant act of retaliation on X.
The legal proceedings are part of a broader crackdown on cultural figures in Russia, which has intensified since the country’s 2022 military actions in Ukraine. For additional details, you can read the full initial report on JURIST.