Russian court jails playwright and director for 'justifying terrorism'

A Russian military court on Monday sentenced a playwright and theatre director to six years in prison on charges of "justifying terrorism" in a 2021 play about women marrying jihadists in Syria.

The judge sentenced director Yevgeniya Berkovich and writer Svetlana Petriychuk following a closed-door trial.

The women's arrest in May last year sent shock waves through Russia's artistic community, which has faced unprecedented pressure from the Kremlin since Russia sent troops to Ukraine.

The length of the sentence announced by the judge Monday was the same as requested by prosecutors last week, according to defence lawyers.

The two women were brought in wearing handcuffs and sat in a glass-walled dock in a courtroom heavily guarded by police with masked faces, AFP journalists saw.

Berkovich, 39, wearing a white shirt, tried to smile and show a victory sign to supporters, while Petriychuk, 44, in a blue dress, looked tense.

Defence lawyer Ksenia Karpinskaya said after the sentence that "today was an illegal, unfair hearing" and that the women were "absolutely innocent", to clapping from those present.

"Of course we will appeal against this decision," Karpinskaya said.

When the sentence was read, Berkovich's husband, Nikolai Matveyev, who works for an independent theatre company, burst into tears.

Prosecutors charged the pair over their 2021 play about Russian women who were lured to marry Islamic State militants in Syria and imprisoned upon returning to Russia. It was awarded two prestigious Golden Mask awards.

The play, "Finist The Brave Falcon", was performed in a documentary style, telling the story of Russian women groomed online to join the Islamic State group.

The Kremlin has brought artistic institutions under tighter control since launching its Ukraine offensive in 2022. Many of Russia's prominent artistic figures have left the country.

"I staged the play to prevent terrorism," Berkovich said during the trial, denying the charges.

Berkovich, 39, had written poems criticising Russia's military offensive in Ukraine and her supporters said they believed the court case could be linked to this.

Human rights group Amnesty International said the pair were "being targeted simply for exercising the right to freedom of expression" and called for their immediate release.

Among those who came to the court on Monday to support the women was Dmitry Muratov, a Nobel Prize-winning newspaper editor, who has called for their charges to be dropped.

The women and their defence lawyers gave their final arguments in court Monday in a closed hearing.

The judge ruled last month that the trial would continue behind closed doors after the prosecution said witnesses were being threatened on social media.

Media and supporters were only allowed to attend the sentencing.