Murder case in Russia: For years abused sisters threaten long prison sentences

Two sisters in Russia, who have stabbed their father after years of abuse, are to be tried for murder and conspiracy to murder. Krestina, Angelina and Maria Khachaturian had killed their father Mikhail in July 2018 with dozens of stab wounds. They were at the time of the crime 17, 18 and 19 years old, the then full-year sisters now threatened up to 20 years in prison.

The investigation had revealed that the sisters had stabbed their father with knife and hammer blows, said the Russian investigation committee. Although there are "extenuating circumstances", the two older sisters committed the act with a clear mind and full consciousness. For the youngest sister Maria, the investigators recommended a compulsory education in psychiatry.

The sisters' lawyer told journalists AFP in June that the girls had been beaten by their father "virtually every day". He had sexually abused her regularly and shot her with an air pistol.

Criticism of the decree of President Putin

According to lawyers, Mikhail Khachaturian was said to have taken each girl to his room one at a time and sprayed it with pepper spray last year. The Elder would almost suffocate. Neighbors and relatives turned to the police, but were not taken seriously. According to the lawyer, Mikhail Khachaturian had "good relations" with law enforcement officials.

In 2016, Krestina Khachaturian tried to commit suicide, but her sisters saved her. The two older girls had come to the conclusion that "one of them would die if they did not act," the lawyer said. That night, they waited until their father fell asleep and then stabbed him.

Activists also argue that the sisters have been forced to kill their father to save their lives. They denounce the lack of legal protection for abuse victims in Russia, which has been eroded in recent years.

In 2017, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a decree weakening the punishment for abuses within the family. Since then, only one fine has been imposed on first-time offenders instead of imprisonment. Human rights activists accuse the police of frequently not prosecuting cases of domestic violence.