This archive report was first published on 22 November 2019.
Published on November 22, 2019, a letter to Justice Minister Alexander Konovalov from relatives of four victims of domestic abuse sparked calls for an investigation into Deputy Justice Minister Mikhail Galperin's stance on the issue.
The relatives, outraged by Galperin's position, pointed to a 2016 case in which a female police officer told a victim, Yana Savchuk, "Don't worry, if you get killed, we'll come to register the body." Savchuk was later killed by her partner.
Domestic violence is a major issue in Russia, with activists lobbying for a separate law against violence. However, efforts have so far failed, and police often do not intervene, even in severe cases.
Galperin's statement to the European Court of Human Rights in October downplayed the gravity of the issue, saying "the problem of non-family violence is far more topical." He also claimed that existing legislation was enough to protect women, adding that men were more vulnerable because they are "not generally expected to ask for protection."
Galperin's comments came after four victims of domestic abuse, including Margarita Gracheva, who had her hands chopped off by her husband in 2017, turned to the Strasbourg-based court, complaining that Russian authorities could not protect them.
President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said the problem of domestic violence existed in the country but it did not fall within the Kremlin's purview.
