23:55, 30 June 2020

Investigation into murder of North-Ossetian woman Regina Gagieva by her former husband completed

Regina Gagieva. Screenshot from video posted by iRYSTON TV https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmCHwqCDuAQ

Vadim Tekhov, a former policeman from North Ossetia, detained after the murder of his former wife Regina Gagieva, is also accused of beatings, robbery, attempted murder of two persons, and voicing a threat of murder. The forensic examination recognized him as sane.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in September 2019, Regina Gagieva, a 22-year-old resident of Vladikavkaz, got stab wounds and died in a hospital. According to investigators, the woman was attacked out of jealousy by her former husband who escaped from house arrest.

In most regions of Northern Caucasus, the traditions tend to connive the use of violence against women in families, human rights defenders report.

According to the investigators, on April 29, 2018, the defendant came to a working place of his former wife, beat her, and threatened to kill her. On September 18, 2019, during a quarrel, the man stabbed his former wife with a knife more than 15 times. When Regina Gagieva lost consciousness, the defendant fled the scene.

Besides, the investigators also found that in November 2018, during a conflict near a bar in Vladikavkaz, the defendant stabbed two men with a knife.

In November 2019, Roksana, a sister of Regina Gagieva, criticized the course of the investigation into her sister's murder.

According to the sister of Regina Gagieva, the former husband often beat Regina, but law enforcers did not respond to her complaints.

After the death of Regina Gagieva, in North Ossetia, activists launched an initiative against domestic violence and called it the movement "Khоtæ" ("Sisters", as translated from Ossetian).

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on June 30, 2020 at 05:11 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.