Russian playwright Svetlana Petrichuk and Director Yevgenia Berkovich have been found guilty of “justifying terrorism” by a military court in Moscow.
They were sentenced to six years each for the production of their play The Brave Falcon Finist.
Loosely based on true events, the play tells the story of Russian women who travelled to Syria during the country’s civil war to marry members of the Islamic State group.
The two women’s defence lawyer vowed to appeal against the verdict.
Held partly behind closed doors, the trial heightened alarm about freedom of expression in Russia among members of the country’s artistic community.
In addition to being jailed, both women will be banned from “administering websites” for three years after their release.
At the beginning of the trial in late May, Berkovich, 39, and Petrichuk, 44, said they had staged the play because they opposed terrorism.
Berkovich said the performance had been put on to prevent terrorism, adding she had nothing but condemnation and disgust for terrorists.
