Violence

Greece has made progress in combating violence against women but serious concerns still remain, particularly over shortcomings in victim protection and attitudes among the authorities involved in dealing with such cases, an expert report has found. 

“What began as accusations against two Christian brothers has escalated into a devastating wave of violence, resulting in the destruction of over 20 churches & 500 homes”

The Family and Social Services Ministry has initiated an application to prioritize support for women and children who are victims of violence, as a social support hotline has seen a significant surge in calls since March, Minister Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş has said.

An appeals court in Crete has confirmed the conviction of a Norwegian man for the murder of his wife in January 2021.

The man, now aged 50, will continue to serve his life sentence for the murder, which the court unanimously ruled was premeditated and committed in a clear state of mind.

UEFA president Alexander Ceferin urged Europe on Wednesday to help eliminate hooliganism, which he called "the cancer of football", days after a man was killed in clashes before a match between AEK Athens and Dinamo Zagreb in Greece.

A failure in the state mechanism is usually followed by staffing changes that are mainly intended to placate public anger. The reaction to such failures, however, cannot be limited to tearing a service apart, even when this is necessary. Services and departments need to be rebuilt too.

An avalanche of reports of domestic violence followed the news of the abuse of an 18-year-old girl in Stara Zagora, but court orders for permanent victim protection increased even earlier in the year.

This is what Zornitsa Shumanova, who heads the new unit for combating domestic violence at the National Police, told bTV:

A 22-year-old Greek man died on Monday night in a violent altercation involving soccer hooligans ahead of Tuesday's match between Athens side AEK and visiting Dinamo Zagreb from Croatia.

With 144 votes "in favor", the Bulgarian parliament adopted the amendments to the Law on Protection from Domestic Violence in the first reading. With them, "intimate relationship" is equated to marital partnership and cohabitation without marriage, and victims receive the same opportunities for protection.

At an extraordinary meeting, the legal commission in the Bulgarian parliament adopted changes to the Criminal Code and the Law on Domestic Violence. Penalties for minor and moderate bodily harm are increased, and intimate relationships are equated to cases of domestic violence along with de facto conjugal cohabitation.