Russian court jails playwright and director for 'justifying terrorism'

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.

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.



OTHER WORLD NEWS