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Court Says 'Threats' Forced Closed-Door Trial Of Moscow Theater Director, Playwright


Svetlana Petriichuk (left) and Yevgenia Berkovich in a Moscow courtroom last year. (file photo)
Svetlana Petriichuk (left) and Yevgenia Berkovich in a Moscow courtroom last year. (file photo)

A Moscow court ruled on June 13 that the trial of theater director Yevgenia Berkovich and playwright Svetlana Petriichuk, who are charged with justifying terrorism, must continue behind closed doors due to unspecified "threats" received by a prosecution witness. Lawyers for the defendants protested the move, saying that only defense witnesses are left to testify in the trial. Berkovich and Petriichuk have maintained their innocence in the trial, which began last month. They were arrested last year following a production of the play Finist -- The Brave Falcon. The play is about Russian women who married Muslim men and moved to Syria. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.

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