In the summer of 2024, a military court in Moscow sentenced Berkovich and Petriychuk to six years in a general regime colony due to the play «Finist the Bright Falcon» about Russian women who decided to marry Islamists and go to Syria. The appellate court reduced Yevgenia Berkovich's sentence by only five months, and Svetlana Petriychuk's by two.
At the Supreme Court session, journalists were prohibited from even taking protocol shots of the video screens through which Berkovich and Petriychuk participated in the session, reported a correspondent from «Mediazona»** from the courtroom.
The defense noted that the Military Appellate Court in Vlasikha did not assess the incompleteness and unreliability of the first instance court protocol, and also incorrectly considered the motion to recuse the judge who had previously refused to change the preventive measure for Berkovich and Petriychuk. The appellate ruling also states that Petriychuk was found guilty of two episodes, although in fact, it was only about one.
«Berkovich was unreasonably given the most severe punishment provided by the article», states the complaint of Berkovich's lawyer Igor Pavlovsky.
In addition, the defense recalled that the accusation was based on a «destructological» examination by Roman Silantyev, which the Ministry of Justice deemed unfounded.
According to Berkovich, she and Svetlana Petriychuk should not just be acquitted, «the case should not have even been initiated», yet they have been in prison for the third year.
«I don't know who the people are who made these decisions. Does the Russian state really have no more powerful enemies than a 90-year-old woman, two sick orphans, and two not very healthy women? Is there really no one else to fight against, can't it stop? Some of these people are men, officers, people with some sense of honor. I ask you, Your Honor, please, stop», said Yevgenia Berkovich in her speech.
Svetlana Petriychuk briefly asked to be acquitted.
The Supreme Court left the previous instance's decision unchanged. The sentence for Yevgenia Berkovich is five years and seven months in a general regime colony, for Svetlana Petriychuk — five years and ten months.
* Included in the list of «terrorists and extremists».
** Recognized in Russia as a «foreign agent».
Photo: Alexandra Astakhova/Mediazona