A woman has died of internal injuries after being raped with a broken tree branch. Anna Barmina, 33, was attacked by a serial rapist in Russia two years ago and never fully recovered.
Barmina, who was being buried last week, was stabbed and beaten by Gizar Ziyangareev before being sexually assaulted and having her cash, laptop and phone stolen in September 2015.
She suffered a heart attack and went into a coma in the aftermath of the incident and while she regained consciousness almost a year later, she never spoke again or left her hospital bed. Barmina lost a large amount of weight before succumbing to her internal injuries last year, according to reports.
Barmina, a cosmetics representative, was one of four women attacked by Ziyangareev in the same week. He had just been released from prison, where he was serving time for prior violent sexual attacks on a neighbour and an underage girl.
Ziyangareev is now serving a 23-year sentence, one of Russia's longest ever prison sentences for rape, which was shortened by a month before Barmina's death after he claimed his elderly mother and three children were dependent on him.
Barmina's mother Natalia described Ziyangareev as an "inhuman monster" and called for him to be given the death penalty for his crime, which local police described as the most brutal and cruel they had ever seen.
"I just cannot understand how the court could give such a lenient term," her mother said. "Anna will never get up, she will never speak. And he will get out of jail one day and continue to rape."
Barmina's family told the press of their horror that Ziyangareev's prison term was being reduced. "The family is indignant at the arrogance of this person," said her cousin Adel Galiev. “How does he dare, after all that he did, ask for some kind of mitigation of his punishment while covering himself with his children and mother? Especially since he is a repeat rapist.”
Meanwhile, an unnamed police investigator involved in the case reportedly said that Ziyangareev does not regret his actions.
If you have experienced sexual violence of any kind, please visit Rape Crisis or call 0808 802 9999.
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