Rehtaeh Parsons committed suicide last week after an alleged rape in 2011 and subsequent online bullying left her traumatized, but the harassment is reportedly not over yet for the girl’s family.
The family of the 17-year-old Canadian girl said they are being harassed by supporters of the boys accused of raping their daughter and taking photos of the crime.
There have been signs put up around Halifax, Nova Scotia in support of the boys . The bright flyers read, “Speak the truth. There’s two sides to every story. Listen before you judge. The truth will come out. Stay strong and support the boys.”
When the flyers showed up in the neighborhood where Rehtaeh Parsons’ family lived, they viewed it as harassment.
“It just felt like someone kicked me in the stomach. How dare they do that?” her mother, Leah Parsons told Global News . “My daughter is gone because of them, and they have the nerve to show up on my street and my community where my children live and keep harassing us.”
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police noted that the posters may be bothersome but don’t constitute a crime.
Other actions have already been taken against supporters of the boys accused. Police ordered that a Facebook page supporting the boys after the names of the accused leaked on the page.
Rehtaeh Parsons died earlier this month, being taken off life support after a suicide attempt.
Her parents said a boy had sex with her at a party while Rehtaeh was incapacitated while another boy took pictures, which then spread through the school.
After a yearlong investigation, Royal Canadian Mounted Police investigators said there was not enough evidence to bring charges, leading to public outcry and vows from the online hacktivist group Anonymous to expose the girl’s rapists .
Police now said they are re-opening the Rehtaeh Parsons case.