09/07/24 (Agence Europe) – On Tuesday, 9 July, the spokesperson for the European External Action Service condemned a Russian court’s sentencing, the previous day, director Zhenya Berkovich and playwright Svetlana Petriychuk to six years’ imprisonment for “justifying terrorism” in their award-winning play Finist, the Brave Falcon, “which actually speaks [out] against terrorism”. In a statement, the spokesperson scoffed, “This sentence is absurd—as if Dostoyevsky were responsible [for] a murder [committed] by Raskolnikov.” In his view, the court’s decision illustrates the state’s increasing control over cultural institutions and Russian authorities’ attempt to restrict fundamental freedoms. “This is yet another confirmation of Russia’s descent into unbound authoritarianism under Putin”, the spokesperson felt. (CG)