Key facts
- Russian playwright Svetlana Petriychuk and theatre director Zhenya Berkovich were sentenced to six years in a penal colony.
- The conviction was for "justifying terrorism" in their play "Finist the Bright Falcon."
- Petriychuk's husband, Yury Shekhvatov, is living in exile in Germany and advocating for her release.
- Human rights groups have criticized the verdicts as a suppression of free speech in Russia.
- Shekhvatov maintains a website, freesveta.org, to publicize Petriychuk's case and her play.
Yury Shekhvatov, husband of Russian playwright Svetlana Petriychuk, is living in exile in Germany, maintaining a vigil for his wife who was sentenced to six years in a penal colony for "justifying terrorism." The verdict, delivered by a Moscow military court, pertains to Petriychuk's play "Finist the Bright Falcon," which depicted Russian women marrying Islamic State fighters. Both Petriychuk and theatre director Zhenya Berkovich received the six-year sentence.
Shekhvatov recounted waiting for the verdict in Hamburg, a city he chose for its distance from the trial. He described the judicial process as indifferent and automatic, with judges going through motions without genuine consideration, especially in sensitive cases where acquittals are rare. He expressed feeling betrayed by some in the theatre community who remained silent after his wife's arrest.
Petriychuk, 46, is serving her sentence in a Moscow region penal colony, working in a sewing workshop. Shekhvatov communicates with her through messages and phone calls, and he has adopted a strategy of validating her emotions to provide support. He also runs a website, freesveta.org, to publicize her case and her play, which has seen over 75 performances worldwide in 13 languages. Shekhvatov is also seeking publishing experience to become Petriychuk's literary agent upon her release, expressing confidence in her future success as a prose writer.