The searches were conducted by Russia’s Investigative Committee in connection with a criminal case on embezzlement.
The police searched Kirill Serebrennikov’s flat and the Gogol Centre theatre founded by Serebrennikov on the base of Moscow Gogol Theatre of Drama. The raids are reported to be linked to a criminal case on large-scale embezzlement initiated in 2015. Investigators allege the organisation Studio 7 headed by Serebrennikov misappropriated budget funds – 200 million rubles issued by the Ministry of Culture.
After the search in the artistic director’s home, he was taken to the Investigative Committee for questioning. The Gogol Centre was also searched by masked riot policemen. All staff members were ordered to gather in a room and banned from leaving the building. Their mobile phones were seized.
Вход в «Гоголь-центр» закрыт. У входа машина с мигалкой и номером АМР. Нашего корра хотят прогнать люди в балаклавах. На вопросы не отвечают pic.twitter.com/6fE9QD5XVi
— Открытая Россия (@openrussia_org) May 23, 2017
A press release by the Investigative Committee says the searches were conducted as part of the case on embezzling 200 million rubles of budget funds. According to investigators, the money was stolen by “unidentified persons of the independent non-commercial organisation Studio 7 in a period from 2011 to 2014”. Serebrennikov headed the organisation in 2011-2015. There’s no exact information about the artistic director’s status in the case.
The criminal case was initiated in 2015 following a prosecutor’s probe, which, in turn, was launched at the request of the foundation Art without Borders that reported swearing, propaganda of amoral behaviour and pornography in theatre productions by a number of cultural organisatons.
Kirill Serebrennikov stages theatre productions and directs films. He is well known both in Russia and abroad. Serebrennikov’s performances run in big theatres in Russia, Germany and Latvia. Serebrennikov is also an art director of the contemporary art festival Territory. His film The Student won a special prize at the Cannes Film Festival last year.
A range of renowned cultural figures, including actor and choreographer Mikhail Baryshnikov, actress Liya Akhedzhakova, filmmakers Fyodor Bondarchuk, Mark Zakharov and Vladimir Mirzoyev, artist Dmitri Vrubel, writers Lyudmila Ulitskaya and Boris Akunin, have showed their support for Kirill Serebrennikov and condemned the actions by the authorities.
Meduza reports that people gathered outside the Gogol Centre last evening to support the theatre and Kirill Serebrennikov. Actress Chulpan Khamatova read a joint letter by theatre and film professionals.
“Kirill Serebrennikov is one of the brightest directors in today’s Russia. He is acclaimed both in our country and abroad. We known him as an honest, decent and open person. The work by the talented director and the entire theatre was interrupted by an unexpected search. We express our support to our colleagues and hope the investigation will be objective and fair. We hope those involved in the case won’t be ill-treated and the investigation won’t affect the creative activity of the theare, its staff and Kirill Serebrennkov,” the statement says.
The statement was signed by Oleg Tabakov, Yevgeny Mironov, Mark Zakharov, Konstantin Raikin, Ingeborga Dapkūnaitė, Alla Demidova, Sergei Garmash, Kseniya Rappoport, Viktoriya Tolstonogova, Yulia Peresild, Elizaveta Boyarskaya and others.
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