Berkovich and Petriychuk sentenced to six years in prison for justifying terrorism
Theatre director Evgeniya Berkovich and playwright Svetlana Petriychuk (both are included in the register of extremists and terrorists by Rosfinmonitoring) sentenced to six years in prison on charges of justifying terrorism, which, according to the court, took place in the play “Finist – the Clear Falcon”.
The decision was made by the Second Western District Military Court. The trial was held behind closed doors from June 13 following a motion by the state prosecutor, who reported threats to a trial participant on social media.
The court’s verdict coincided with the prosecutor’s demand
The sentence handed down by Judge Yuri Massin completely coincided with the prosecutor’s proposal during the parties’ debate. He had previously requested six years of imprisonment in a general regime penal colony for the accused, as well as a ban on website administration for four years.
As Shot reported, before the verdict was announced, Yevgeniya Berkovich was in a good mood, sticking out her tongue and making various gestures and smiling. The parents of the convicted were also present in the courtroom, smiling at them and trying to catch their eyes.
RBC reportedthat when Berkovich and Petriychuk were taken away from the court, people present at the hearing chanted their names.
The girls’ sentences will be calculated from May 1, 2023, the day of their detention. This time will be counted as one day in a pretrial detention facility for one day in a penal colony, as stated in the verdict. It is notedthat Berkovich and Petriychuk will be eligible for parole in 2026. According to the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, the crime for which they were convicted is classified as serious, so anyone convicted of it is eligible for parole after serving half of their sentence.
The defense will appeal the verdict
The defense will appeal the six-year sentence, reported lawyer Ksenia Karpinskaya. She pointed out that her clients are completely innocent.
Today the court held a completely illegal and unfair hearing. We will, of course, appeal the decision, although there is little hope for this. Perhaps justice will prevail someday
The defense attorney also conveyed the defendants’ words that they “will not renounce their faith and confess to something they did not do.”
Many famous Russian cultural figures spoke out in defense of Berkovich and Petriychuk
In November, cultural figures asked the Russian Presidential Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova to intervene in the case of director Berkovich and Petriychuk in order to change their preventive measures. The appeal followed after Berkovich lost her grandmother, 89-year-old writer and human rights activist Nina Katerli, on November 20.
The letter was signed by 23 people, including TV presenter Ivan Urgant, actors Yulia Peresild, Denis Sukhov, Danila Kozlovsky, Veniamin Smekhov, Ksenia Rappoport, and Yevgeny Mironov. The ombudsman was also approached by the artistic director of the Satirikon Theatre Konstantin Raikin, director Alexander Sokurov, journalist, Nobel laureate, and former editor-in-chief of Novaya Gazeta Dmitry Muratov (recognized as a foreign agent by the Russian Ministry of Justice). The latter also came to the reading of the verdict on Monday.
Veniamin Smekhov was also questioned as a witness. In his opinion, the production of “Finist – Yasny Sokol” does not justify terrorism, but warns “about such a disaster as sympathy for terrorists and enemies of our fatherland.”
People’s Artist of Russia Alexander Rosenbaum supported Yevgeniya Berkovich, calling for her to “back off” in the case. “We understand that someone wanted to, but we are smart people, we have a smart state, we hope. Is it possible to do such things… Two girls in shackles. I think they went too far,” he said.
Yulia Peresild called the sentence handed down to Berkovich and Petriychuk very cruel. “The girls have children. In the Year of the Family, it is monstrous to leave children orphans. I really hope that the sentence will be reviewed,” she said.
The production that sparked the case has won Russia’s top theatre prize
The case of Berkovich and Petriychuk was connected with the production of the play “Finist – the Clear Falcon” about Russian women who married radical Islamists in absentia and moved to Syria.
The main witness for the prosecution was a certain secret witness named Nikita, who after watching the production took a recording of the play made on his phone to law enforcement agencies. He explained that the performance raised questions for him, since the terrorists were allegedly shown as victims, and the Russian state was made guilty. According to him, he himself works in the theater industry, so he spoke anonymously, as he fears for his career.
Both defendants pleaded not guilty. Berkovich said during the court hearing that she staged the play to prevent terrorism. The director emphasized that she condemns terrorism and feels nothing but disgust for it.
The play was written by Petriychuk in 2019. The premiere of the performance, directed by Berkovich, took place in December 2020. After that, it was repeatedly performed, including at festival venues. In 2022, “Finist – Clear Falcon” won in two nominations as part of the Golden Mask theater award, receiving awards for the best work of a playwright and best costumes. The award was received by Petriychuk and costume designer Ksenia Sorokina.
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