The Moscow city court on July 31 rejected appeals filed by theater director Yevgenia Berkovich and playwright Svetlana Petriichuk against their pretrial detention on charges of justification of terrorism in the production of the play Finist -- The Brave Falcon, about Russian women who married Muslim men and moved to Syria. The court upheld a lower court's decision last month to keep the two women in custody until at least September 10. Berkovich and Petriichuk maintain their innocence. If convicted, they face up to five years in prison. Their play, first performed in December 2020, last year won Russia's Golden Mask national theater award. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.
Moscow City Court Rejects Appeals Filed By Director, Playwright
Yevgenia Berkovich speaks in court via video link.