The Zamoskvoretsky court in Moscow sent director Evgenia Berkovich to a remand center for two months – until July 4. The investigator insisted on such restraint, an Russian media correspondent from the court said.
Berkovich is charged with justifying terrorism (Article 205.2 of the criminal code) because of the performance Finist the Clear Sokol based on the play by playwright Svetlana Petriychuk, also arrested on May 4. Case materials on Berkovich and Petriychuk are considered separately.
“Finist Yasny Sokol” is a performance by the theatrical company “Girls of SOSO”, directed by Evgenia Berkovich from the play by Svetlana Petriychuk. The production is about women who have decided to virtually marry radical Islamists. The documentary piece is based on real interrogation protocols of these women in Russia, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. In 2022, the show received the Golden Mask Theater Award for Best Work by a Playwright and Best Work by a Costume Designer.
During the meeting, Berkovich’s attorney, Ksenia Karpinskaya, said inquest documents said that “at an unspecified time, at an unspecified location,” the defendants released a reading of “Finist on YouTube to justify terrorism.
According to the investigator, Berkovich’s guilt is confirmed by operational measures and the testimony of witnesses. He thinks that the director can hide from the court or continue to engage in criminal activities. “Additionally, Berkovich was the show’s director, which allowed him to be presented to an unlimited number of spectators,” added the interviewer.
The defense of Evgenia Berkovich asked to extend her detention in the TDF for another 72 hours in order to attach to the case a certificate of receipt of a grant from the Ministry of Culture of 250,000 rubles, which is not yet ready.
In addition, the director’s attorneys requested that the children’s birth and adoption certificates, doctors’ opinions, Berkovich’s reference, as well as personal guarantees be attached to the case.
According to Novaya Gazeta Europe, more than 15 people have vouched for the director, including Konstantin Raikin, artistic director of the Satyricon, Oleg Menshikov, artistic director of the Yermolova Theater, Dmitry Muratov, Nobel laureate, Nyuta Federmesser, founder of the Vera Foundation , and others.
The meeting on choosing a preventive measure for Petriychuk will take place later.
Berkovich and Petriychuk were arrested on May 4, they were taken to the Investigative Committee of Russia and questioned about the status of witnesses in the case, later their status in the case was changed to suspects. The Investigative Committee also interviewed the director of the theatrical project “Girls of SOSO” Alexander Andrievich. He was later released home as a witness in the case. Also, on the morning of the same day, a search was carried out in the St. Petersburg apartment of Berkovich’s parents and grandmother.
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