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Russian court jails playwright and director for 'justifying terrorism'

Two leading Russian theatre figures were each sentenced to six years in prison on Monday for "justifying terrorism," a Reuters reporter in the court said, concluding a landmark trial that has tested the limits of artistic freedom in Russia.

AFP WORLD
Published July 08,2024
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A Russian military court on Monday sentenced a playwright and a theatre director to six years in prison for "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, after the women's arrest in May last year sent shockwaves through Russia's artistic community.