The Russian investigative committee acknowledged the Khachaturian sisters as victims in the posthumous criminal case against their late father, Mikhail Khachaturian, who was killed by his daughters in 2018, one of the lawyers told Sputnik on Tuesday, Sputnik news agency reported.
"Today, the girls were officially presented the decree about the initiation of the criminal case. They have been recognized as victims," the lawyer said, as quoted by the source.
On March 11, the sisters' defense team informed Sputnik about the launch of the criminal case against late Mikhail Khachaturian on charges of sexual and other violence against his daughters.
The source added, there is no official confirmation of this information so far,
It is reminded thatin July 2018, the three Khachaturian sisters, Kristina, 19, Angelina, 18, and Maria, 17, killed their father in his sleep in their apartment in Moscow.
They were arrested and charged with premeditated murder. However, the defense claims that they acted in self-defense, as their father had physically and psychologically abused them. The fact has been confirmed by investigators.
In late 2020, Mikhail Khachaturian's relatives urged investigators to open a posthumous criminal case against the deceased in order to refute accusations of sexual and physical violence against his daughters.
The sisters are currently under house arrest awaiting trial. They are banned from attending mass events, using the internet and communicating with each other and anyone other than their lawyers.