• Urgent Action

Urgent Action: RELEASE WOMEN DIRECTOR AND PLAYWRIGHT (Russia: 81.23)

September 21, 2023

Theatre director Evgenia Berkovich and playwright Svetlana Petriychuk are being arbitrarily detained since 5 May and face prosecution for authoring and staging “Finist Yasny Sokol,” an award-winning play about women who left for Syria and married members of armed groups. Both women face absurd charges of “justifying terrorism” which carry up to seven years in prison. Russian authorities must immediately release them and drop all charges.

TAKE ACTION: 

  1. Write a letter in your own words or using the sample below as a guide to one or both government officials listed. You can also email, fax, call or Tweet them.

  2. Click here to let us know the actions you took on Urgent Action 81.23. It’s important to report because we share the total number with the officials we are trying to persuade and the people we are trying to help.

    CONTACT INFORMATION:


    Krasnov Igor Viktorovich
    Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation
    Bolshaya Dmitrovka, 15a,
    GSP-3, 1 –
    Moscow, 125993
    Russian Federation Complaint form (only in Russian):
    https://epp.genproc.gov.ru/web/gprf/internet-reception/personal-receptionrequest

    SAMPLE LETTER:

    Dear Prosecutor General,

    I am writing to express my concern regarding the unjust prosecution of theatre director Evgenia Berkovich and playwright Svetlana Petriychuk who are facing absurd charges of “justifying terrorism” (Article 205.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).

    Evgenia Berkovich and Svetlana Petriychuk have been in pre-trial detention since 5 May 2023. The charges against them are related to the play “Finist Yasny Sokol” about women who left for Syria and married members of armed groups. In 2021-2022, “Finist Yasny Sokol” received prestigious Russian theatrical awards, including the Golden Mask Award for Best Playwright, and was widely acclaimed by critics. Before the criminal prosecution, the accusation of “justifying terrorism” was never heard against this play. On the contrary, critics and spectators noted its humanistic message. Evgenia Berkovich and Svetlana Petriychuk have not committed any internationally recognizable crime and are targeted simply for exercising their right to freedom of expression.

    I urge you to immediately drop all charges against Evgenia Berkovich and Svetlana Petriychuk and ensure their immediate release.

    Yours sincerely,

    [YOUR NAME]

    ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: