#this is not a reason to kill

There is a flash mob on social networks against the condemnation of victims of violence. It is dedicated to Tatyana Strakhova, who was killed by her ex-boyfriend

On January 22, student Artem Iskhakov killed his ex-girlfriend Tatyana Strakhova, with whom they rented an apartment, and then committed suicide. His suicide note says that before committing suicide, Iskhakov raped the girl several times. According to the student, the reason for the murder was his unrequited feelings for Strakhova, as well as jealousy and the desire to have sex with the girl. He mentioned that he visited a psychiatrist and took medications on his recommendation (whether this is true and what kind of mental disorder and medications he was talking about is unknown). The crime is being investigated by the Investigative Committee; a criminal case was initiated under Part 1 of Article 105 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Murder”).

Acute psychosis

The story caused a strong response in the Russian press and social networks. Psychologist Svetlana Bronnikova on “Such Cases” called the state in which Iskhakov could be acute psychosis. She emphasized that in Russia there is no effective and accessible help for people with mental disorders, which can lead to such murders.

At the same time, Tatyana Strakhova began to be condemned for allegedly “provocative” behavior. In particular, the REN-TV channel published a comment from an anonymous acquaintance of Artem Iskhakov: “The guy was very much in love with her. <…> I brought it with my indifference and attitude towards him, this is a disgrace.” The TV channel used the same words - “I brought it on with my indifference” in the title of the material. Another TV channel material about the murder of Tatyana Strakhova was called “The girl who was brutally killed by a Baumanka student posted intimate photos on social networks.” The material published photographs from the accounts of Tatyana Strakhova, including a selfie in underwear.

A post by Mash editor-in-chief Nikita Mogutin, “Friendzone and punishment,” became popular on VKontakte. A Baumanka student killed his girlfriend because of unrequited love,” where it was emphasized that Artem Iskhakov was from a good family, graduated from school as an external student and was “hardly worried” about his unfulfilled relationship with Tatyana Strakhova.

On January 23, a column “Why the murdered and raped student was a potential victim” appeared on the Dni.ru website. Its author, Mikhail Voitsekhovsky, believes that the girl’s Instagram “suggests certain thoughts” and that she “turned out to be not as innocent as it might seem at first glance.” According to the author of the text, “Tatyana could provoke her roommate with her photographs,” although, as he further stipulates, nothing can justify a murder committed with particular cruelty and the subsequent desecration of the body. Later, Dni.ru published an article about Tatyana Strakhova’s posts on social networks and her possible depression, entitled the material “I drink every day: the secret life of a murdered student.”

Social media users also began leaving offensive messages on the accounts of the murdered girl. According to Medialeaks, hundreds of similar comments were written by Dvacha users, and after media publications about the murder, several public pages appeared on VKontakte where Tatyana Strakhova was discussed and condemned. Their participants were also joined by Diana Shurygina, who became a victim of similar harassment after talking about her rape. According to Shurygina, “the sick guy could no longer tolerate the fact that his beloved was leading a riotous lifestyle [of life], and decided to stop it.”

"It's better to blame the unfortunate girl"

On January 24, a flash mob “This is not a reason to kill” began on social networks (mainly on Instagram), in which women and men post their half-naked photographs - reminding that no photographs or actions can be a reason or justification for violence.

The campaign began with a post by a blogger from Minsk, Nu Ta Anastasisya, who writes on Instagram about equality, sexuality and body positivity, and also posts a lot of photos in lingerie. “They find thousands of reasons why they could kill her so brutally and then rape her corpse - for explicit photos, for cynical captions in posts, for love of alcohol. <…> It’s better to blame the unfortunate girl, to romanticize the act of a loving ******-maniac in order to plunge a little into the illusion of control. To feel for a while that this will never happen to you. After all, you don’t behave like a victim,” the blogger wrote. She posted photos of herself in lingerie and invited other girls to support her with a flash mob. This post received more than three thousand likes.

On January 25, there were more than two thousand posts on Instagram alone using the hashtag #this is not a reason to kill , including those published by men (some users also use the hashtag #this is not a reason to kill ). One of the most popular was written by a user from Israel lina.mi: “It’s easy for those who haven’t had this happen to them to shout “it’s my own fault.” If you post pictures in your underwear, it’s your fault; drank at a party - it’s your fault; If you wear a short skirt, it’s your fault! I think there is no need to continue further. Something that is easy to seduce a modern man.”

“Is the society in which I live so afraid to admit to itself that only the rapist and only the murderer are to blame for violence and murder?” - added another flash mob participant. “I, too, you know, have different photos. I can imagine what they would say about me,” wrote another one of those who joined the action. He suggested that among such “reasons” to kill him could be two divorces, going to rallies and the depression he experienced.

Olga Strakhovskaya