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. |
Italian thrill seekers head to China for extreme sports on world's highest bridgeVolleyball ignites latest rural sports passion on China's tropical islandChina launches new remote sensing satelliteHangzhou ready to host smart Asian GamesChina beats Philippines at Asian Women's Volleyball ChampionshipRoof of the world inhabited since 50,000 years ago: archaeologistsZheng Qinwen stopped in U.S. Open quarterfinals, Wang Xinyu into doubles semisFrom yak dung to solar panels, Tibetans embrace modern heatingA monument to heroesChina wins two shooting golds on Day 1 at Hangzhou Asiad