Kirill Serebrennikov, a renowned Russian playwright and theater director, was recently convicted of embezzlement and sentenced to three years in prison. The charges stem from allegations that he embezzled $2.3 million from the state-funded Gogol Center, a theater he directed from 2012 to 2017. Serebrennikov has denied the charges, and his supporters have denounced the trial as politically motivated.
The Charges Against Serebrennikov
According to the prosecution, Serebrennikov and his co-defendants embezzled the funds through a series of fraudulent contracts. The contracts were allegedly used to pay for productions that were never staged, or for inflated costs for productions that were staged.
Serebrennikov’s defense team has argued that the charges are baseless and that the prosecution has failed to provide any evidence that he personally benefited from the alleged embezzlement. They have also pointed out that the Gogol Center’s financial records were audited by independent auditors who found no evidence of wrongdoing.
The Trial
The trial was held in the Meshchansky District Court of Moscow. The proceedings were closed to the public, and the media was only allowed to attend a limited number of hearings.
During the trial, the prosecution presented a number of witnesses who testified that they had seen Serebrennikov sign the fraudulent contracts. However, the defense team was able to discredit many of these witnesses, and they also presented evidence that Serebrennikov was not involved in the day-to-day management of the Gogol Center’s finances.
The Verdict
On June 26, 2020, the Meshchansky District Court found Serebrennikov guilty of embezzlement and sentenced him to three years in prison. The other defendants in the case were also found guilty and sentenced to prison terms ranging from two to four years.
Serebrennikov’s conviction has been widely condemned by the international arts community.
Conclusion
The conviction of Kirill Serebrennikov is a serious blow to freedom of expression in Russia. Serebrennikov is one of the most important and innovative theater directors in the world, and his work has been praised for its originality and its exploration of difficult social and political issues.
The charges against Serebrennikov are widely seen as politically motivated, and his conviction is a clear attempt to silence one of Russia’s most outspoken critics.
We urge the Russian government to overturn Serebrennikov’s conviction and to allow him to continue his work without fear of reprisal.
Kind regards
E. Thompson
