Overview

• The motion, introduced by Die Linke parliamentary leader Eva von Angern, proposes a distinct murder characteristic for killings committed because the victim is a woman.
• It seeks a Bundesrat initiative alongside specialized police training and public information campaigns on warning signs and available help.
• The proponents argue such crimes are currently folded into murder or manslaughter using features like “base motives” or “treachery,” which they say obscures gendered motives.
• Cases cited include a 47-year-old in Weißenfels who died after an Aug. 9 arson attack allegedly by her partner, a killing during visiting hours at Burg prison in April, and a January stabbing in Genthin.
• In the Genthin case, the Stendal regional court last week issued a 13-year manslaughter sentence, while Lower Saxony’s justice minister has separately urged a femicide category that would always carry life imprisonment.