Sentenced to six years in prison for theater
Theatre director Yevgenija Berkovich (39) and playwright Svetlana Petrichchuk (44) have been sentenced to six years in prison in Russia over a play, NTB reports.
The play tells the story of two Russian women who were tricked into marrying ISIS fighters and were imprisoned upon their return to Russia, writes BBC.
It was performed in 2021, but although the play was performed three years ago, it was only apprehended in May last year.
Director Berkovic has also written poems criticizing Russia’s war against Ukraine, and many of her supporters suspect that her arrest may be linked to that.
The trial took place behind closed doors before a military court, and the argument in favor of the arrest was that the play should have “justified terrorism.”
The theatre duo themselves deny this and claim to have staged the play for prevent terrorism, that they are innocent and will appeal the sentence – although they have little hope of winning, their lawyer told the Moscow court yesterday, Monday, July 8.
Also present was Dmitry Muratov, former editor-in-chief of Novaya Gazeta and Nobel Prize winner.
The arrest sent shockwaves through the arts community, which has been facing even greater pressure from authorities since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and many artists have since left the country.
The trial was seen as a test of where the boundaries of artistic freedom and freedom of expression lie in Russia today.
Human rights organization Amnesty International says Berkovic and Petrichchuk were arrested solely for exercising their freedom of expression and is calling for their release.
Sources: NTB and BBC
