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.
Supreme Court rejects an appeal from a Canadian man once held at Guantanamo
OpenAI lawsuit: Eight major U.S. newspapers sue ChatGPT
King Charles says his 'thoughts and prayers' are with family of 14
Mystery artist who erected signs comparing pothole
Int'l horticultural expo attracts worldwide green fingers to Chengdu
Darvish earns 1st win of season and Machado hits 3
Devout Christian doctor, 68, who punched dementia
Australia invest $599 million to financially support women, children escaping violence
Uber and Lyft say they'll stay in Minnesota after Legislature passes driver pay compromise
The Islamic State group says it was behind a mosque bombing in Afghanistan that killed 6 people