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. |
CPC Delegation Visits BarbadosNational Campaign on Caring for Children in Winter Vacation LaunchedChina's Experience with Gender Equality Shared at UNExhibition on Achievements in China Women and Children's Cause Opens in BeijingChina, EU Agree to Promote PeopleMore Benefits to Chinese Women over Past DecadeACWF Holds Gathering to Celebrate CPC CentenaryChina greets green tomb7th China Medical Women's Congress Held in BeijingNational Parent