Russian court jails theatre figures over IS wives play
A Russian playwright and a theatre director have been convicted of “justifying terrorism” by a military court in Moscow.
Director Yevgenia Berkovich and playwright Svetlana Petrichuk received six-year sentences for their play, The Brave Falcon Finist.
The play, loosely based on real events, narrates the story of a Russian woman who traveled to Syria during its civil war to marry members of the Islamic State group.
The defense lawyers for Berkovich and Petrichuk have pledged to appeal the verdict.
The trial, partially held behind closed doors, has raised concerns about freedom of expression in Russia among the country’s artistic community.
In addition to imprisonment, both women are banned from “administering websites” for three years after their release.
Having been in custody since May 2023, they will now be transferred to a penal colony to serve their sentences, as reported by Russian news agency RBC.
The prosecution alleged that the women portrayed IS in a positive light, with prosecutor Yekaterina Denisova arguing that the play exhibited “signs of justification of terrorism,” according to RBC.
At the beginning of the trial in late May, Berkovich, 39, and Petrichuk, 44, said they had staged the play because they opposed terrorism.
Berkovich said the performance had been put on to “prevent terrorism”, adding she had “nothing but condemnation and disgust” for terrorists.
“I have absolutely no idea what this selection of words has to do with me… I have never shared any forms of Islam, radical or otherwise,” RBC quoted Berkovich as saying.
Both she and Petriychuk maintained their innocence throughout the trial.
Speaking after the women had been sentenced, defence lawyer Ksenia Karpinskaya described the hearing as “absolutely illegal” and “unfair” and pledged to appeal against it thoughthere was “little hope”.
“I want you to know that these girls are absolutely innocent,” the lawyer added.
Supporters of Berkovich have suggested her prosecution was linked to a series of poems she wrote criticising Russia’s military offensive in Ukraine.
Russia’s artistic community has come under increasing pressure from the Kremlin since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Several high-profile Russian artists, writers and journalists have come out in support of the women, including newspaper editor Dmitry Muratov and actress Yulia Peresild.
The play, which remiered in 2020, won two Golden Mask Theatre Awards for best playwright and best costumes.
In recent months, Russia has been subjected to deadly attacks by Islamist militants in both Moscow and Dagestan. The Kremlin has made unsubstantiated suggestions that Ukraine was involved in both incidents.
