Berkovych and Petriychuk kicked out all the listeners from the hearing on the case

At the Zamoskvoretsky District Court in Moscow, bailiffs Evgenia Berkovich and Svetlana Petriychuk expelled all listeners from the building, except relatives of the defendants, during the session on the extension of the restraining order, Mediazona reports.

The publication notes that the session, which was declared open, was most likely specially scheduled for 18:00 – this is the closing time of the court. At the same time, the hearing did not start at the appointed time, since Judge Zoryna had two other cases pending.

• Theater director Evgenia Berkovich and playwright Svetlana Petriychuk have been under arrest since May 2023. They are accused of “justifying terrorism” for the play “Finist Yasnyi Sokol” about Russian women who left for Syria to become the wives of militants of the terrorist organization “Islamic State”. The play was written by Petrychuk and staged by Berkovych in 2020. The performance was awarded the most prestigious Russian theater award “Golden Mask” in two nominations – for the best direction and the best work of the costume designer.
• Dozens of well-known cultural figures spoke in support of Berkovich and Petrychuk. Human rights activists consider their persecution to be politically motivated.
• On February 29, the director and playwright were presented with a final charge. In the near future, the case will be transferred to the court of first instance, where its merits will begin. Berkovych and Petrychuk face up to seven years in prison.