(MENAFN- The Peninsula) AFP
Athens: Dozens of young protesters gathered Friday outside a Greek police station where a woman was murdered, marking the fifth femicide in the Balkan country this year.
Kyriaki Griva, 28, was fatally stabbed by her former partner on Monday night as she reportedly pleaded for help from police in the northwestern Athens district of Agioi Anargyroi.
Testimony of the police's inaction -- despite it taking place just outside the station -- by one of Kyriaki Griva's friends has caused shock and anger throughout Greece.
Flowers and candles have been left outside the police station entrance, along with graffiti decrying violence against women.
According to details of a local police investigation leaked to the press, the suspect followed Griva to the station, where she had gone with a friend to request assistance as the suspect was stalking her and watching her house.
After on-duty officers declined her request to be driven home in a squad car for her safety, she called the emergency police number, and was still on the phone when the 39-year-old attacked her with a knife, according to the same source.
"The squad car is not a taxi," the emergency responder is heard saying in a recording released by police and later shared on national television.
Five officers including the commander and responder were removed from their posts following the incident, which Citizen's Protection Minister Michalis Chrysohoidis described as "one of the toughest moments" in his career.
The suspect was arrested and placed in a prison psychiatric ward at his request.
Last year, the ministry of social cohesion said femicides in Greece had quadrupled from six in 2012 to 24 in 2022, while cases of violence against women jumped from around 1,600 to more than 10,000.
In December, the Greek foreign ministry drew criticism for removing a piece of art addressing femicide from the country's consulate in New York.
Brooklyn-based visual artist Georgia Lale's "Flag", made from bedsheets offered by women living in Greece as a tribute to female murder victims, depicts the Greek flag in pink and red bands instead of the traditional blue and white.
At the time, Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis had said the Greek consulate "is not a private gallery".
MENAFN07042024000063011010ID1108067549
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.