GENEVA – The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Russian Federation, Mariana Katzarova, has called for the acquittal of theatre director Evgenia Berkovich and playwright Svetlana Petrychuk, who are currently serving six-year prison sentences on charges of “justifying terrorism.” The appeal comes ahead of the scheduled hearing of their case by the Appellate Military Court on 25 December 2024. “The prosecution of Berkovich and Petrychuk represents a direct attack on the right to freedom of expression and the role of culture in fostering critical dialogue,” Katzarova said. “Russian authorities should overturn the conviction and acquit both Berkovich and Petrychuk.” The Special Rapporteur noted that their prosecution was part of an alarming pattern of repression against those who speak up against the war on Ukraine or express dissenting opinions. The actual ground for persecution is likely linked to a series of poems Berkovich wrote criticising Russia’s war against Ukraine. The charges brought against Berkovich and Petrychuk are based on their artistic work in staging a play titled “Finist, the Brave Falcon”, which tells the story of Russian women who travelled to Syria to marry members of the Islamic State (ISIS). The play condemns terrorism, critically addressing the complex issue of extremist ideologies and their devastating consequences on individuals and society. A criminal case was initiated after theatre actor Vladimir Karpuk, who later became a witness for the prosecution, denounced the performance, arguing that it was “inappropriate to perform a play by an anti-war playwright”. The play, which premiered in 2020, won two Golden Mask Theatre Awards -- the most prestigious award recognising outstanding achievements in Russian theatre - for best playwright and best costumes. “Artistic work is protected under international human rights law on freedom of speech and cultural expression,” Katzarova said. “Cultural figures have the right to express their ideas through art, including controversial or politically sensitive works, without fear of repercussions. Instead, the Russian authorities have subjected poets, artists, actors, writers and other cultural figures to censorship, dismissals, imprisonment, torture, including rape and sexual violence for expressing views against the war on Ukraine,” she said. In her report to the Human Rights Council and her subsequent report to the General Assembly, the Special Rapporteur documented the ongoing crackdown on dissenting voices, including abuse of the judicial system and national security legislation to silence artists and cultural figures since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. *Mariana Katzarova is the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Russian Federation The Special Rapporteurs, Independent Experts and Working Groups are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures’ experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity. UN Human Rights, country page – Russian Federation For additional information and media requests please contact Alina Grigoras (HRC-SR-Russia@un.org) For media inquiries related to other UN independent experts please contact Dharisha Indraguptha (dharisha.indraguptha@un.org) Follow news related to the UN’s independent human rights experts on Twitter: @UN_SPExperts. ------------------------------