Russian prosecutor seeks six-year jail term for director who poked fun at authorities: RIA

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian prosecutors asked a court in Moscow on Monday to sentence prominent film and theatre director Kirill Serebrennikov to six years in jail on embezzlement charges, the RIA news agency reported.

The prosecution of Serebrennikov, an award-winning director, prompted an outcry among the country’s liberal cultural elite who say the director is being persecuted for his work. He denies the charges against him.