In Moscow, the Second Western District Military Court began hearing the trial of director Zhenya Berkovich and playwright Svetlana Petriychuk. The session began at 10 a.m. and lasted until 8:30 p.m., with two witnesses being heard before it was adjourned until May 21 due to a breach of detention regulations. Media coverage of the courtroom proceedings was provided by the Mediazona website.
On the first day of the trial, prosecutor Ekaterina Denisova presented the indictment to the court. Berkovich and Petriychuk are accused of justifying terrorism through their play “Fenist Yasny Falcon,” which portrays Russian girls marrying Islamists and traveling to Syria. The prosecution claims that Petriychuk, influenced by aggressive Islamic ideologies, wrote a play that promotes and justifies terrorism. Berkovich is charged with endorsing terrorist ideology by producing the play publicly.
Both defendants have denied these charges, stating that their intention was to combat the spread of extremist ideas through their work. They maintain that their play was intended to raise awareness about the dangers of radicalization and extremism in Russia, rather than promoting or justifying violence against innocent people.
