Russian court sends author and director of play “Isis Brides” to prison for “justifying terrorism”

A military court in Moscow has found a Russian playwright and a theater director guilty of “justifying terrorism” in a play about IS brides and sentenced them each to six years in prison.

Svetlana Petrichuk and Yevgenia Berkovich were convicted for producing a play entitled The brave falcon Finist The project is inspired by Russian women who went to Syria in the mid-2010s to marry fighters of the terrorist group.

Petrichuk, 44, and Berkovich, 39, intend to appeal their verdict.

Her trial, which took place partly behind closed doors, has raised doubts about artistic freedom in the country.

Petrichuk and Berkovich were charged with justifying terrorism, a crime punishable by up to seven years in prison. Prosecutors argued that their play portrayed ISIS in a positive light.

The artists have denied the allegations. Berkovich said at a hearing that she performed the play to prevent terrorism. Petriychuk echoed this statement, saying she wrote the play to prevent events like those depicted in the production.

“I have absolutely no idea what this choice of words has to do with me,” Berkovich was quoted as saying by the Russian news agency RBC. “I have never shared any form of Islam, radical or otherwise.”

Her lawyers said the play was supported by the Russian Ministry of Culture and even won the Golden Mask, Russia's most prestigious theater award.

One of the lawyers, Ksenia Karpinskaya, described the verdict as “absolutely illegal” and “unfair” and announced an appeal. However, she also admitted that there was “little hope”.

The play was read to inmates at a women's prison in Siberia in 2019 and the State Penitentiary Service praised it on its website, Petriychuk's lawyer said.

An open letter in support of the artists, launched by the newspaper Novaya Gazeta after their arrest, has so far collected more than 16,000 signatures.

The piece, the letter states, “carries an absolutely clear anti-terrorist sentiment.”

In addition to their prison sentence, the two women are banned from managing websites for three years after their release. They have been incarcerated since May 2023 and will serve their sentences in a penal colony.

Her supporters, including well-known Russian artists, suspect that the prosecution may be linked to Berkovich's anti-war poetry.

The Russian government has reportedly increased pressure on its artistic community since invading Ukraine in 2022.