Russia jails theater director amid crackdown on dissent
A Moscow court has ordered pretrial detention for a theater director facing charges of justifying terrorism,
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A Russian court on Friday ordered pretrial detention for a theater director facing charges of justifying terrorism, the latest move in a relentless crackdown on dissent in Russia that spiked to unprecedented levels since the start of the war in Ukraine.
The Zamoskvoretsky District Court in Moscow jailed Zhenya Berkovich, a prominent independent theater director and playwright, for two months pending investigation and trial. Berkovich was detained in the Russian capital on Thursday because of the play she staged, “Finist, the Brave Falcon.” Police also raided the apartments of her parents and her grandmother in St. Petersburg.
The play, named after a Russian fairy tale, depicts Russian women who faced prosecution after being lured into marriage and life in Syria by representatives of radical Islam. It was written by playwright Svetlana Petriychuk, who was also detained on Thursday and appeared in the same court on Friday right after Berkovich.
The authorities have alleged that the play justifies terrorism, accusations that both Berkovich and Petriychuk have rejected, maintaining their innocence.
