Director Zhenya Berkovich was released from pre-trial detention center to say goodbye to her grandmother

Director Zhenya Berkovich was released from pre-trial detention center to bid farewell to her grandmother, human rights activist Nina Katerli. This was reported by the former editor-in-chief of Ekho Moskvy, Alexey Venediktov, and the information was also confirmed by the deputy chairman of the Yabloko party, Boris Vishnevsky.

According to them, Berkovich was allowed to say goodbye to her grandmother and hug her mother.

Zhenya Berkovich’s grandmother, writer and human rights activist Nina Katerli, died at the age of 90 on November 20. After this, Chulpan Khamatova, Ivan Urgant, Danila Kozlovsky, Lyudmila Ulitskaya and other cultural figures turned to the Human Rights Commissioner Moskalkova with a request to release Berkovich to the funeral.

Previously, the director herself had repeatedly asked to change her measure of restraint from detention in a pre-trial detention center to house arrest. “A lot has already happened in these six months: severe psychological breakdowns and physical illnesses. Perhaps only one thing has not happened: so far none of our loved ones have died. Let's stop the crushing machine of Russian justice now, before this happens. This can happen,” Berkovich said at the October 25 meeting.

Director Zhenya Berkovich and screenwriter Svetlana Petriychuk are accused of “justifying terrorism” (Part 2 of Article 205.2 of the Criminal Code) because of the play “Finist Yasny Falcon”. This is a production about the fate of Russian women who decided to marry radical Islamists and go to Syria with them. The performance received several awards in Russia, including the Golden Mask.

Berkovich and Petriychuk were detained on May 4, and the next day they were sent to a pre-trial detention center.

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