TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A Russian court on Monday opened the trial of a theater director and a playwright accused of advocating terrorism in a play, the latest step in an unrelenting crackdown on dissent in Russia that has reached new heights since Moscow sent troops into Ukraine. Zhenya Berkovich, a prominent independent theater director, and playwright Svetlana Petriychuk have been jailed for over a year. Authorities claim their play “Finist, the Brave Falcon” justifies terrorism, which is a criminal offense in Russia punishable by up to seven years in prison. Berkovich and Petriychuk have both repeatedly rejected the accusations against them. Berkovich told the court on Monday that she staged the play in order to prevent terrorism, and Petriychuk echoed her sentiment, saying that she wrote it in order to prevent events like those depicted in the play. |
Energy majors fully embracing green wavePosters for Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics releasedSki resorts in east China make full preparations during Spring Festival holidaySaudi Arabia stuns Argentina in World Cup Group CChina, Indonesia communicating over chemical plant blastBeijing 2022 Olympic athletes honored at ANOC Awards 2022China's border exits and entries see dramatic increases during Spring FestivalChina's outbound tourism thrives during Chinese New Year holidaysChina records nearly 5 bln domestic trips in 2023China's talent pool goes for glory