Russia may drop murder charge in Khachaturyan sisters case

Three Moscow sisters accused of murdering their father are likely to have the charges reduced to "necessary self-defence", their lawyers say.

The decision by Russia's chief prosecutor could lead to their criminal prosecution being dropped, lawyer Alexei Parshin told Tass news agency.

In July 2018 the teenage Khachaturyan sisters stabbed and battered their father to death in his sleep.

He had beaten and sexually abused them, so many Russians urged their release.


More than 350,000 people signed a petition supporting the sisters, and their high-profile case was a powerful argument for a new law against domestic violence, expected to take effect this year.


Human rights activists argued that the sisters were not criminals but victims, as they had no means of getting help and protection from their abusive father.

Krestina, Angelina and Maria Khachaturyan, who were 17, 18 and 19 when they stabbed their father to death, currently face up to 20 years in prison, after the Investigative Committee (SK) accused them of premeditated murder.

// <\/s'+'cript>'); // --> //]]> From ICE