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Director Berkovich and playwright Petriychuk detained in justification of terrorism case

May 5, 2023

Director Yevgenia Berkovich and playwright Svetlana Petriychuk were arrested as suspects in the justification of terrorism case (Article 205.2 of the Criminal Code) because of the play Finist Yasny Sokol. This was reported by their lawyers from the human rights project “OVD-Info” * Yulia Tregubova and Yulia Kuznetsova.

The investigator’s motion to select a preventive measure against the two women from the Zamoskvoretsky District Court in Moscow will be considered on May 5. The meeting is scheduled for 2:00 p.m., specifies “OVD-Info”.

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, his lawyer Alan Kachmazov said.

“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.

Berkovich and Petriychuk were arrested on May 4, taken to the Russian Investigative Committee and questioned about the status of witnesses 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.

*recognized as a foreign agent in Russia

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Russia Desk

Russia Desk

The Russia Desk leads The Eastern Herald's coverage of Russia, the war in Ukraine, NATO's eastern flank, and the post-Soviet space. The desk has reported continuously on the Russia-Ukraine conflict since its full-scale expansion in February 2022 and verifies through Kremlin statements, NATO briefings, and named primary sources, corroborating with Reuters, the BBC, and the Kyiv Independent.

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