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Women Join Viral Protest After People Suggest Murdered Teen 'Provoked' Ex Into Raping And Murdering Her

Women Join Viral Protest After People Suggest Murdered Teen 'Provoked' Ex Into Raping And Murdering Her

The controversial comments completely divided people, with a wave of people coming together in an online flashmob protest

Jess Hardiman

Jess Hardiman

Hundreds of women in Russia are joining a viral campaign in protest against the murder of a 19-year-old woman - and the wave of comments by people suggesting that she had provoked her killer.

Tatiana Strakhova was raped and murdered by her ex-boyfriend Artyom Iskhakov, 19, who then had sex with her corpse afterwards before hanging himself. Iskhakov also openly spoke about what had happened in a chilling running online commentary.

He had been driven by unbearable jealousy over his ex-girlfriend's new relationship with another man, explaining that when she came home, he was sat there.

"I punched her in the face, she fell on the floor. I punched her a few more times, blood started coming from her mouth, and she asked me to leave," he said.

Artyom Iskhakov.
East2West News

He also wrote a message to Tatiana's girlfriend, explaining that he was 'ashamed'.

He said: "Forgive me for taking your only child from you. I loved her very much. You know, at this very moment I've realised what the fuck I did. I feel cold and my hands have started shaking even more."

Iskhakov then admitted that he was disgusted at himself for having sex with her corpse, adding: "Now I can do nothing except kill myself. I've ruined the happiness of several people, and for what? In the end there is only one emptiness that will swallow me up."

After leaning about what had happened to Tatiana, some people on Russian social media suggested she she had provoked her ex-boyfriend - who was also her flatmate - by posting revealing pictures.

East2West News

But the controversial comments completely divided people, with a wave of other people instead coming together in an online flashmob protest.

The campaign involved women posting 'revealing' pictures of themselves, showing that by doing so they did not deserve to get raped or murdered - or criticised.

East2West News

One woman, Julia, posted an image showing her topless with a message reading: "This is the first and probably the last time I take part in a flashmob. I have never taken a news story so much to my heart...

"Many must have heard how a male student - who brutally killed and raped a young girl - described his actions in detail and hanged himself.

"I opened the account of this dead girl and what did I see? Lots of posts offering sympathies? No, I saw a gigantic flow of shit - 'she is guilty here', 'she provoked him', 'a hooker with tattoos and pink hair', 'she deserved it, she ought to have had sex with him'.

East2West News

"I felt sick. I am sickened because, in 2018, for the majority of people tattoos and pink hair is a sign of someone's immorality, and a murder can be approved because somebody had nude pictures in her Instagram.

"I am scared to find so many barbarian and cruel people."

East2West News

Another woman, Liza, posted her picture with the caption: "This is my body. The fact that you see it does not mean that I can be killed and raped. Nothing justifies this violence."

Polina wrote: "Girls, imagine your rape can be justified by the fact that you posted an erotic photo to Instagram. Fathers, imagine your daughter will be killed and this will be justified by the pink colour of her hair."

Featured Image Credit: East2West News

Topics: Viral, World News, Russia, Protest