A Russian court convicts a woman of killing her husband, after he punched and kicked her 51 times

Russia’s judicial system can’t quite make up its mind about how far women can go when defending themselves against abusive partners. This week, a regional court in Tver convicted a woman of using unnecessary force when she stabbed and killed her husband while he was beating her in a drunken argument.

Investigators determined that he punched and kicked her at least 51 times before she parried his last blow and stabbed him in the chest twice with a knife. The woman, who’s only been identified as Mrs. Barkina, was sentenced to a year of probation.

• In April, the Moscow City Court acquitted a woman sentenced to six years in prison for killing her husband when he tried to strangle her. In May, an appellate court exonerated another woman sentenced to three years in prison for killing her husband after years of abuse.