Feminist protest movement founder found dead in apartment

Authored by thehill.com and submitted by bint_elkhandaq
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A co-founder of the international feminist group Femen was found dead Monday in her Paris apartment, according to The Guardian.

The newspaper reported that Femen activists said Oksana Shachko, a 31-year-old Ukrainian, was found in her apartment with a suicide note lying next to her.

“It is with great regret and deep pain that I must confirm the death of Oksana,” Inna Shevchenko, one of Femen’s leaders, told The Guardian.

Another Femen founder, Anna Gutsol, reportedly said the activist group was awaiting “the official version” of her death from police.

The Guardian notes that Shachko was a founding member of Femen, a feminist activist group launched in Ukraine in 2008.

Shachko had been exiled in France since 2013 and had left the group before her death to pursue work as an artist, according to The Guardian.

Femen operates under the slogan of “I came, I stripped, I won,” and has garnered attention around the world for its protests against sexism, which often involved topless demonstrations.

The group also protested authoritarianism and racism and targeted Russian President Vladimir Putin. Because of their protests, Femen said Shachko was among three members “kidnapped” in 2011 after it mocked the Belarusian president in a protest, according to The Guardian.

The newspaper also noted that the group says Shachko was kidnapped another time by unknown assailants while Putin made a visit to Ukraine.

The Guardian notes that the group has struggled in recent years due to a combination of internal divisions and legal proceedings against its members.

12345thrw on July 25th, 2018 at 13:54 UTC »

It's so depressing that openly confronting corrupt and tyrannical regimes will get you killed. Who is brave enough for that? Not so many people, and that's understandable.

Prerequisite on July 25th, 2018 at 13:42 UTC »

What a bleak world for those fighting to right the world. Kidnapped twice during her life, once the kidnappers poured oil on her and threatened to light her on fire alive.

What a brutal life and fearless human being. Rest in peace Oksana.

Chathtiu on July 25th, 2018 at 13:37 UTC »

Look at that. The former leader of the KGB killing off political enemies. What else is new?