Russia: Outrage after director and playwright detained

A court in Russia ordered pretrial detention for a prominent theater director and a playwright on Friday after the two were accused of "justifying terrorism."

Director Zhenya Berkovich and playwright Svetlana Petriychuk will be jailed for at least two months while awaiting trial, Russian news agencies reported.

The charges come as many in Russia's theater and arts community have fled the country amid a widespread crackdown on dissent at home amid Russia's war in Ukraine.

What are they accused of?

Berkovich and Petriychuk were arrested on Thursday in Moscow. Authorities also raided the homes of Berkovich's parents and grandmother in St. Petersburg.

The charges against the two stem from a play entitled "Finist, the Brave Falcon," which was named after a Russian fairy tale.

The play, which is performed only by women, tells the story of Russian women who faced prosecution after being recruited online to marry radical Islamists in Syria.

Authorities allege that the play "justifies terrorism" — a charge that could carry a sentence of up to seven years in prison.

In court on Friday, Berkovich's lawyer noted that "Finist, the Brave Falcon" won two Golden Mask theater awards last year — which is Russia's most prestigious national theater award. The play was also supported by the Russian Culture Ministry.

Petriychuk's lawyer added that the play was read to inmates in a women's prison in Siberia in 2019 and that Russia's state penitentiary service praised the work on its website.

What has the reaction been?

The arrest of the 38-year-old theater director and the 43-year-old playwright sent shockwaves through the Russian theater scene — both at home and abroad.

Many Russian actors and directors described the charges as absurd, with some suggesting that the charges had less to do with the play and more to do with Berkovich's opposition to the war in Ukraine.

Berkovich has published several poems criticizing President Vladimir Putin's more than year-long war in Ukraine.

By Friday evening, an open letter supporting the two artists had been signed by over 3,400 people. The letter, which was started by the independent Novaya Gazeta newspaper, argued that the play "carries an absolutely clear anti-terrorist sentiment."

"It is a bit like arresting Dostoyevsky for justifying killing old ladies after writing Crime and Punishment," journalist Alexander Baumov was quoted as saying on the Meduza news website.

Berkovich was also a former student of one of Russia's most successful directors, Kirill Serebrennikov, who fled the country.

"Such people in culture in a normal country are a rarity, a miracle, pride. But in Russia, everything is now the other way around," Serebrennikov said after the announcement of Berkovich's arrest.

"You are a star," he said, calling her his "most talented" student.

Crackdown on artists

Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the government and authorities launched a campaign of repression not seen since the Soviet era.

Criticism of the war has been effectively criminalized — with those who speak out against Russia's actions facing lengthy prison terms.

Many actors, writers, directors and musicians have faced mounting pressure — prompting many to flee the country.

Berkovich, who is raising two adopted daughters, has refused to leave Russia.

rs/sms (AP, AFP)