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MOSCOW, September 6The Khamovnichesky Court of Moscow extended the arrest term of director Evgenia Berkovich and playwright Svetlana Petriychuk until November in the case of justifying terrorism, a correspondent reports from the courtroom.
«The investigation's request is satisfied, the accused Petriychuk and Berkovich are extended the preventive measure in the form of detention for a period of time until November 4,” Judge Diana Mishchenko announced the decision.
On Wednesday, during the meeting, it became known that investigators had not yet thought through new plans. The need to extend the preventive measure was justified by the impossibility of completing the investigation due to previously appointed examinations — psychological-psychiatric and psychological-linguistic auto-editing. In addition, the accused may also escape, continue to engage in criminal activities, or otherwise interfere with the proceedings, a representative of the Investigative Committee said.
“I would welcome the appointment of some kind of examination, with the help of which everything will fall into place. But I would like to wait at home for the results of the examination,” Petriychuk summed up her situation.
Berkovich’s defense and the director herself also spoke about the illegality of the arrest and its extension, and about the insolvency of the entire case. It was also emphasized that Berkovich is the mother of two adopted children with special needs, and in her absence they lose acquired social and other skills.
In early May, the Zamoskvoretsky Court of Moscow arrested Petriychuk and Berkovich on charges under Part 2 of Article 205.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (justifying terrorism using the Internet). The article provides for punishment in the form of imprisonment for a term of five to seven years.
As follows from the materials read out in court, the case was initiated for posting on the YouTube video service a reading of the play “Finist Yasnyi Sokol”, which, according to a “destructological” examination, contained signs of justification of terrorism, the ideology of the terrorist group “Islamic State” banned in the Russian Federation* and jihadism.
The defense considers the “destructological” examination on which the case is based illegal. The response of the All-Russian Federal Center for Social Expertise under the Ministry of Justice of Russia to the request of lawyers about the competence of the study states that such examinations are not carried out in the Russian Federal Center for Social Expertise and in general “destructology is not a science, nor any field of technology, art or craft, and only such are understood by the legislation of the Russian Federation as special knowledge.»
Berkovich staged the play «Finist Yasny Falcon» in Moscow based on the play by Petriychuk. It tells the story of women who decided to virtually marry adherents of radical Islam and go to Syria with them. The performance, created, among other things, with money from the Ministry of Culture, received the Golden Mask theater award.
*Terrorist organization banned in Russia