illustration in support of the protection
of the Khachaturian sisters
2020
The case of the Khachaturyan sisters is an ongoing high profile criminal case in Russia that elicited public outrage about domestic violence in the country. Sisters Krestina, Angelina and Maria Khachaturyan were arrested on 28 July 2018 and charged with premeditated murder of their father, Mikhail Khachaturian. When the crime was committed, the sisters were 19, 18 and 17 years old. On 14 June 2019, the charges were upgraded to that of premeditated murder “committed by a group of persons or as a result of conspiracy", punishable by up to twenty years of imprisonment. The defense stated that the sisters acted in self-defence, having no other choice, as they were subjected to constant violence and sexual abuse by their father for a long period of time prior to the alleged crime. There has been a large-scale public outcry over the case, with social activists defending the sisters. Public protests have been held in Moscow, Saint-Petersburg and other cities supporting the sisters and calling for a change in legislation governing domestic violence and its prevention.
