5 May 2023 19:41

Moscow court places stage director Berkovich under arrest on terrorism justification charges

MOSCOW. May 5 (Interfax) - Moscow's Zamoskvoretsky District Court has granted investigators' motion to remand stage director Yevgeniya (Zhenya) Berkovich, detained on justification of terrorism charges, in custody, a court representative told Interfax.

"The court has ordered custody as a measure of restraint for Berkovich for the period until July 4, 2023," the court said on Friday.

The defense asked the court to dismiss the investigators' motion and select house arrest as a measure of restraint for Berkovich or set bail. The defense attorneys pointed out that the defendant needs to take care of her children who suffer from illnesses and her parents living in St. Petersburg.

Berkovich is charged with justification of terrorism.

The charges were brought against her over the staging of a play, which, according to an official announcement, is about "women who decided to get married in virtual reality to some followers of radical Islam and join them in Syria." At a court hearing, Berkovich's defense explained that this concerned the publication of videos with the reading of the play's script on YouTube.

Berkovich denies all charges.

Playwright Svetlana Petriychuk was detained alongside Berkovich on May 4. The court will consider a measure of restraint for her later.