INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
A Russian military court on Monday sentenced theater director Yevgenia Berkovich and playwright Svetlana Petriychuk to six years each on
39, and Petriychuk, 44, to each be sentenced to six years in a penal colony during the closed-door trial in Moscow last week.The two women
they would appeal the verdict
received funding from the Culture Ministry, was awarded Russia's top theater prize, the Golden Mask.During a court session last year,
Berkovich stressed the play had "a very simple and transparent idea that dozens of women in our time become, I emphasize, random victims of
evil.""Understanding and justifying why this happens are two different things," she said.The actresses who acted in the play had also
testified during court hearings that the play was aimed at warning women against dating potential militants.Since Moscow launched its war
against Ukraine, Berkovich has written emotional poems against the invasion
Her supporters believe her anti-war statements were the real reasons for prosecution.Amnesty International last year urged Russian
