The Western District Military Court of Moscow initiated the trial of playwright Svetlana Petriychuk and director Zhenya Berkovich on May 18. The proceedings began at 10 a.m. and lasted until 8:30 p.m., with two witnesses providing their testimonies. However, the hearing was adjourned until the following day, May 21, due to a breach of detention regulations. Mediazona website covered the live courtroom events.
On the first day of trial, prosecutor Ekaterina Denisova presented charges against Berkovich and Petriychuk. The duo is accused of justifying terrorism through their play “Fenist Yasny Falcon,” which portrays Russian girls marrying Islamists and traveling to Syria. The prosecution argues that Petriychuk, who advocates for aggressive Islamic ideologies and holds positive views on the Islamic State, created a play that promotes terrorism. Berkovich, on the other hand, is accused of publicly endorsing terrorist ideologies by producing the play.
Both Berkovich and Petriychuk deny the allegations and maintain that their intention was to combat extremist ideologies through their work. They refuse to acknowledge any wrongdoing in connection with the play.
