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. |
Chinese Leaders Extend Spring Festival Greetings to Veteran ComradesXiplomacy: How China Becomes a Strong Buttress to UNXi Focus: Xi Charts Course for Chinese Economy at New Starting Point for ModernizationXiplomacy: How China Becomes a Strong Buttress to UNChina's gigantic telescope provides nearly 900 observation hours to foreign researchersXi Focus: Xi Jinping Leads China's Drive Toward Rural ModernizationXinhua Headlines: China, Philippines Cement Ties in New YearXi Focus: Xi Calls on NonXi Focus: 17Full Text: 2023 New Year Address by President Xi Jinping