- Two lethal stabbing incidents occur within a week in Berlin.
Two Tragic Incidents in Berlin: Within a brief span, two women lost their lives due to stabbings. There's a strong likelihood that men were involved in both incidents. The first occurred on a Friday evening in the Friedrichsfelde district, where a 28-year-old woman was fatally stabbed. This incident followed the suspected murder of a 36-year-old woman by her ex-husband in Berlin-Zehlendorf, which happened only a few days prior. Another stabbing attack occurred on a woman in the Reinickendorf district on the same Friday, but the situation was fortunately contained.
28-year-old Suffers Serious Wounds:
Late on Friday evening, a 28-year-old woman was discovered with critical injuries in the hallway of an apartment building, as reported by the public prosecutor's office and police. Despite resuscitation efforts, she succumbed to her injuries shortly afterward at a hospital. These details were earlier reported by "Bild".
Following this, a 45-year-old suspect was apprehended by the deployment forces, who are alleged to have assaulted the 28-year-old with a knife. He's currently in police custody. The motive behind the crime remains unclear. Initially, the connection between the two was unknown.
An official from the public prosecutor's office was initially unable to provide information on the woman's nationality. An investigation is being conducted by a homicide commission and the Berlin public prosecutor's office. According to "Bild", the woman had two children.
Another Case Within a Few Days:
On a Wednesday evening in the Berlin district of Zehlendorf, a woman was killed by a knife, allegedly by her ex-husband. The 36-year-old woman was a mother of four. The 50-year-old man is in custody under investigation. A warrant for arrest has been issued for murder due to low motives, as per the General Public Prosecutor's Office.
The police initially suspect it to be a case of 'femicide'. Femicide refers to women being murdered due to their gender, simply because they are women. The most common form is the killing of women by partners or ex-partners.
In their marriage, the man had a history of domestic violence against her. Eventually, the woman separated and obtained a protection order and a restraining order from the court, prohibiting her ex-husband from approaching her, speaking to her, or keeping a certain distance.
Attempted Murder:
On the same Friday, another knife attack occurred in Berlin. A man assaulted a woman in her apartment with a kitchen knife and attempted to strangle her. The police and public prosecutor's office refer to this as an attempted murder, which occurred on Friday evening in Reinickendorf.
The 38-year-old woman's two children, aged eight and nine, ran out onto the street for help and stumbled upon police officers. The officers apprehended the 32-year-old who was about to continue the attack on the woman.
Both the woman and the attacker were taken to the hospital and police custody, respectively. They are reported to be natives of Ghana.
The woman had taken in the suspect only a week prior, as per the spokesperson for the Berlin public prosecutor's office, Sebastian Büchner, speaking to the German Press Agency. The relationship beyond the acquaintance is yet to be clarified. It is being examined whether the man should be placed in a psychiatric clinic instead of investigative custody.
Reactions to These Incidents:
Federal Minister for Families, Lisa Paus, expressed shock over these incidents, stating, "Our country is grappling with a severe problem of violence against women. This must end." She emphasized the need for not only security measures against terrorist knife attackers but also for preventing and protecting women from violence. She is preparing a 'Violence Assistance Act' to provide help to all affected individuals.
Berlin's Justice Senator, Felor Badenberg, has called for action against these brutal murders of men against women, terming it as "pure misogyny". She urged Justice Minister Buschmann to include an ankle monitor in the Violence Protection Act and suggested examining modifications and preventive measures at the state level.
Recent Sentences in Berlin for Relatives' Murders of Women:
Last year, the murder of a woman from Afghanistan by her relatives in Berlin caused an uproar. Two Afghan brothers were sentenced to life imprisonment for killing their sister in July 2021, who lived a life that didn't align with their family's moral standards, transported her body in a suitcase by train to southern Germany, and buried it in a forest.
In 2023, the husband of a six-time mother from Afghanistan was sentenced to life imprisonment for killing her in retaliation. He attacked her with a hunting knife on the street only a few weeks after their separation. The judge noted in the verdict that he considered the woman as his property, and he was "incredibly selfish, cunning, manipulative, and malicious".
- Despite the alarming number of incidents involving women in Berlin, a 28-year-old woman from an unknown nationality became the latest victim of a knife attack, leading to her tragic death.
- In response to the escalating violence against women, Berlin's Justice Senator, Felor Badenberg, highlighted the need for stricter measures, including the potential inclusion of an ankle monitor in the Violence Protection Act, to combat what she described as "pure misogyny."
