"Don't Rape Ukrainian Women"…Naked Protest at Cannes Condemning Sexual Crimes

Woman Storms Cannes Red Carpet... Condemning Russian Military Sexual Crimes
Wrote 'Do Not Rape' on Her Bare Upper Body

A woman staged a nude protest at the Cannes Film Festival criticizing the Russian military's sexual violence against Ukrainian women.
[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] At the 75th Cannes International Film Festival, a woman staged a nude protest to condemn sexual crimes occurring in war-torn Ukraine.

On the 22nd (local time), according to CNN, the woman who stormed the red carpet painted her upper body in blue and yellow, symbolizing the Ukrainian flag, and wrote in black, "STOP RAPING US." She painted red, presumably symbolizing blood, on her underwear and surrounding areas.

Festival security personnel covered her with a jacket and escorted her out. Cannes has not yet released an official statement regarding the incident.

The French feminist group SCUM explained on Instagram, "An activist belonging to SCUM went to the Cannes Film Festival to condemn the sexual torture experienced by Ukrainian women during the war."

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February, numerous cases of sexual crimes committed by Russian troops against Ukrainian women have been revealed. Ukrainian human rights investigator Lyudmyla Denisova told The New York Times in April that Russian troops committed sexual crimes in places like Bucha, Ukraine, and that a group of women and girls were held captive in a house basement for 25 days as sex slaves.

Irina Venediktova, Ukraine's Prosecutor General, also stated at a press conference on the 3rd, "We have collected cases of sexual crimes committed by Russian troops against Ukrainian men and women of all ages, from children to the elderly." She criticized Russia for using rape as a deliberate strategy, saying, "It is intended to threaten civil society and force Ukraine to surrender."

In this regard, the United Nations announced that it is investigating multiple cases of sexual violence. Pramila Patten, the UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence, held a press conference in Kyiv on the 3rd (local time), stating, "Reports of sexual violence against Ukrainian men and boys have been received," and urged, "The international community must find the perpetrators and hold them accountable."