Yevgenia Berkovich and Svetlana Petriychuk are political prisoners
They have been accused of ‘justifying terrorism’ for staging a play about recruiting women into the banned ISIS
The ‘Political Prisoners. Memorial’ human rights project, in accordance with international standards, considers Yevgenia Berkovich and Svetlana Petriychuk political prisoners. A criminal case was opened against them because of a play about the recruitment of women for the Islamic State terrorist organisation. The persecution of Berkovich and Petriychuk violates their right to freedom of expression and a fair trial. The case is related to their creative work and is conditioned by the women’s civil stance.
We demand the immediate release of Yevgenia Berkovich and Svetlana Petriychuk and that all criminal charges against them be dropped.
Who are Yevgenia Berkovich and Svetlana Petriychuk, and what is the case against them?
Yevgenia Berkovich is a well-known theatre director and Svetlana Petriychuk is a playwright. The reason for their criminal prosecution is the play Finist, the Brave Falcon, which premiered in December 2020. Written by Petriychuk and directed by Berkovich, it is based on real stories of women recruited into ISIS. According to the prosecution, the play contains ‘signs of justification for terrorism’ (Article 205.2, Part 2, of the Russian Criminal Code).
On 4 May 2023, the women were detained, and on 5 May, a court in Moscow sent them to a pre-trial detention centre, despite guarantees from renowned cultural figures. Berkovich has two adopted daughters, one of whom is a minor.
Why do we consider Yevgenia Berkovich and Svetlana Petriychuk political prisoners?
Inspections, which prosecution is based on, are legally unacceptable. For example, the ‘destructological’ forensic examination was recognised as unsuitable by the Ministry of Justice itself.
Besides, the examination does not reveal what exact threat Petriychuk and Berkovich’s play poses. As in many other cases related to prosecution for justifying the activities of ‘extremist and terrorist’ organisations, the experts do not conduct a meaningful analysis of the materials: the very reference to a banned organisation is interpreted as propaganda of terrorism.
At the same time, the plot of the story and the comments of the authors and critics allow us to state with certainty that there is no justification for terrorism in the play. On the contrary, the authors seek to warn adolescent girls and young women against joining ISIS.
We believe that the investigators deliberately brought the accusation of justifying terrorism on Petriychuk, Berkovich and their play. The reason can be both the intention to punish the women for their consistent anti-war position and a mere desire to intimidate cultural figures in Russia, to force them to abandon the creation of works that would not correspond to the priorities of the Russian authorities.
Further information about this case and the position of the ‘Political Prisoners. Memorial’ human rights project is available on our website.
Recognition of an individual as a political prisoner does not imply the ‘Political Prisoners. Memorial’ human rights project agrees with or approves of their views, statements, or actions.
How can you help?
Up-to-date information about the case can be found on Telegram channels Berkonovosti and This is the Сase of Petriychuk.
You can write to the following address:
In Russian: 109383, г. Москва, ул. Шоссейная, д. 92, ФКУ СИЗО-6 УФСИН России по г. Москве, Беркович Евгении Борисовне 1985 г. р., Петрийчук Светлане Александровне 1980 г. р.
In English: Yevgenia Borisovna Berkovich (born 1985), Svetlana Aleksandrovna Petriychuk (born 1980), Remand Prison No. 6, Russian Federal Penitentiary Service for Moscow, 92 Shosseinaya Street, Moscow 109383, Russia
You can also send an electronic letter via F-pismo.
Please note that letters in languages other than Russian are highly unlikely to reach the recipient.
You can donate to support all political prisoners on our website.
