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Russian Court Sentences Playwright, Jewish Theater Director to Prison for ‘Justifying Terrorism’ in Award-Winning Play
Director Zhenya Berkovich and playwright Svetlana Petriychuk stand inside an enclosure for defendants during a court hearing in Moscow, Russia on July 8, 2024. Photo: Reuters/Yulia Morozova
A court in Russia on Monday sentenced a playwright and theater director to six years each in prison for “justifying terrorism” with an award-winning play they staged together that focuses on Russian women being lured into marrying Islamic State (ISIS) terrorists in Syria.
Authorities arrested playwright Svetlana Petriychuk, 44, and theater director Zhenya Berkovich, 39, in May 2023. They had been in jail for over a year awaiting trial over their play “Finist the Bright Falcon,” which was first staged in 2021, shortly before the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Berkovich runs an independent theater production in Moscow called Soso’s Daughters. In April, she and Petriychuk were added to Russia’s official list of “terrorists and extremists.”
Berkovich, who is Jewish and has two adopted daughters, wrote a series of poems condemning Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. She also participated in an anti-war protest and was jailed for 11 days. Her supporters believe that her arrest and sentencing regarding “Finist the Bright Falcon” has to do more with her opposition to the Russia-Ukraine war and less with the play’s message.
Justifying terrorism is a criminal offense in Russia and is punishable by up to seven years in prison. Berkovich and Petriychuk have repeatedly denied accusations of propagating terrorism since their arrest and throughout their seven-week trial.
At the opening of the trial last month, Berkovich said, “I staged the performance to prevent terrorism,” adding that she had “nothing but condemnation and disgust” towards terrorists, Reuters reported. Petriychuk echoed similar sentiments, saying that she wrote the play in order to prevent incidents such as those depicted in the play, according to The Associated Press.
Their lawyers noted in court that the play was supported by the Russian Culture Ministry and won the Golden Mask award, which is Russia’s most prestigious national theater award. The play was also reportedly read to inmates of a women’s prison in Siberia in 2019 and was praised by Russia’s state penitentiary service.
Rachel Denber, deputy director of the Europe and Central Asia division of Human Rights Watch, wrote on X/Twitter that the sentence was based on “utterly absurd” charges and “in an unfair trial that is blatant retaliation against Berkovich for speaking out against Russia’s war on Ukraine.” She added that the verdict is “disgraceful and should be annulled,” and that Berkovich and Petriychuk “should be freed immediately.”
More than 16,000 people signed an open letter in support of Petriychuk and Berkovich that insisted the play “carries an absolutely clear anti-terrorist sentiment.” A number of Russian actors, directors, and journalists also signed affidavits that called on the court to release the pair from custody pending their trial but to no avail, Reuters reported.
Defense lawyer Ksenia Karpinskaya said on Monday she will appeal the court’s verdict, which she called a “cruel sentence.”
The post Russian Court Sentences Playwright, Jewish Theater Director to Prison for ‘Justifying Terrorism’ in Award-Winning Play first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Hezbollah Says Lebanon Move on Army Plan Is ‘Opportunity,’ Urges Israel to Commit to Ceasefire
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and members of the cabinet stand as they attend a cabinet session to discuss the army’s plan to disarm Hezbollah, at the Presidential Palace in Baabda, Lebanon, September 5, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
Hezbollah official Mahmoud Qmati told Reuters on Saturday that the group considered Friday’s cabinet session on an army plan to establish a state monopoly on arms “an opportunity to return to wisdom and reason, preventing the country from slipping into the unknown.”
Lebanon’s cabinet on Friday welcomed a plan by the army that would disarm Hezbollah and said the military would begin executing it, without setting a timeframe for implementation and cautioning that the army had limited capabilities.
But it said continued Israeli military operations in Lebanon would hamper the army’s progress. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Lebanese information minister Paul Morcos stopped short of saying the cabinet had formally approved the plan.
Qmati told Reuters that Hezbollah had reached its assessment based on the government’s declaration on Friday that further implementation of a US roadmap on the matter was dependent on Israel’s commitment. He said that without Israel halting strikes and withdrawing its troops from southern Lebanon, Lebanon’s implementation of the plan should remain “suspended until further notice.”
Lebanon’s cabinet last month tasked the army with coming up with a plan that would establish a state monopoly on arms and approved a US roadmap aimed at disarming Hezbollah in exchange for a halt to Israeli military operations in Lebanon.
Qmati said that Hezbollah “unequivocally rejected” those two decisions and expected the Lebanese government to draw up a national defense strategy.
Israel last week signaled it would scale back its military presence in southern Lebanon if the army took action to disarm Hezbollah. Meanwhile, it has continued its strikes, killing four people on Wednesday.
A national divide over Hezbollah’s disarmament has taken center stage in Lebanon since last year’s devastating war with Israel, which upended a power balance long dominated by the Iran-backed Shi’ite Muslim group.
Lebanon is under pressure from the US, Saudi Arabia and Hezbollah’s domestic rivals to disarm the group. But Hezbollah has pushed back, saying it would be a serious misstep to even discuss disarmament while Israel continues its air strikes on Lebanon and occupies swathes of territory in the south.
Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem last month raised the specter of civil war, warning the government against trying to confront the group and saying street protests were possible.
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UK Police Arrest Dozens at Latest Protest for Banned Palestine Action
Demonstrators attend the “Lift The Ban” rally organised by Defend Our Juries, challenging the British government’s proscription of “Palestine Action” under anti-terrorism laws, in Parliament Square, in London, Britain, September 6, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Jasso
British police arrested dozens more people on Saturday under anti-terrorism laws for demonstrating in support of Palestine Action, a pro-Palestinian group banned by the government as a terrorist organization.
Britain banned Palestine Action under anti-terrorism legislation in July after some of its members broke into a Royal Air Force base and damaged military planes. The group accuses Britain’s government of complicity in what it says are Israeli war crimes in Gaza.
Police have arrested hundreds of Palestine Action supporters in recent weeks under anti-terrorism legislation, including over 500 in just one day last month, many of them over the age of 60.
On Saturday, hundreds of demonstrators gathered near parliament in central London to protest against the ban on Saturday, with many holding up signs that said: “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.”
London’s Metropolitan Police said officers had begun arresting those expressing support for Palestine Action. Police did not say how many arrests were made but a Reuters witness said dozens of people were detained.
Palestine Action’s ban, or proscription, puts the group alongside al-Qaeda and ISIS and makes it a crime to support or belong to the organization, punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
“I can be unequivocal, if you show support for Palestine Action – an offense under the Terrorism Act – you will be arrested,” Met Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan said on Friday. “We have the officer numbers, custody capacity and all other resources to process as many people as is required.”
Human rights groups have criticized Britain’s decision to ban the group as disproportionate and say it limits the freedom of expression of peaceful protesters.
The government has accused Palestine Action of causing millions of pounds worth of criminal damage and says the ban does not prevent other pro-Palestinian protests.
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Macron’s Meeting with American Jewry ‘Won’t Happen’ Amid Palestinian Recognition Drive, Surge in Antisemitism
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks during a press conference in Paris, France, June 12, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Stephane Mahe
i24 News – French President Emmanuel Macron attempted to set up a meeting with American Jewish leaders later this month on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
i24NEWS has learned that the meeting won’t happen, firstly because Macron was only available for the meeting ahead of the UN General Assembly during Rosh Hashanah, and yet, a person invited to meet with Macron and who has knowledge of the discussions told i24NEWS the sit-down simply wasn’t going to happen, anyway.
“I think the organizations, for the most part, would not have participated,” the person said, adding that AIPAC, the Anti-Defamation League and the American Jewish Committee would have likely received invitations, among other entities.
“The guy has a 15% popularity rating in France. It’s not our job to help him out,” the person said.
Asked by i24NEWS whether Macron’s push for greater Palestinian state recognition or his lack of action in tackling antisemitism at home led to the stance of organized American Jewry, the person said it’s more of “the climate” which allows one to say ‘Look, the American Jews met with me,’ regardless of the content.”
The person said they are sure, if a meeting would have happened, that everybody in the room would have taken a hard line with Macron, including his “statements on Israel, the failure to respond to antisemitism” and France’s announcement this summer that it will recognize a Palestinian state later this month, and is leading an effort to get more countries to do the same.
But, the person told i24NEWS they are convinced that, in the end, while no final decision actually had to be taken, there was enough pressure that a consensus would have been reached to decline the meeting.
Of the timing of Rosh Hashanah allowing for leadership to not be forced to officially say no to Macron, the person said “G-d saves us every time.”
Another source familiar with the matter noted that it cannot be ruled out that Macron may eventually succeed in arranging a meeting with certain representatives, as the organizations are not a single unified body. However, he is unlikely to be welcomed by the overwhelming majority of groups representing American Jewry.
i24NEWS has also learned that French President Emmanuel Macron explored the possibility of visiting Israel ahead of the convention, but was advised by the Prime Minister’s Office that the timing was inappropriate. The message came as Macron continues to push for recognition of a Palestinian state, a move Israel strongly opposes. Sources further told i24NEWS that Israel is weighing additional retaliatory measures against Macron, including the potential closure of the French consulate in Jerusalem, which primarily serves Palestinians in the West Bank.