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SPÖ politician Eva-Maria Holzleitner: “A black day for women in Austria”

Photo: Eibner press photo / EXPA / Slovencik / IMAGO

After a total of four women and a teenager were found dead in two police operations in Vienna on Friday, a debate about femicide is beginning in Austria.

The federal women's leader of the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ), Eva-Maria Holzleitner, appealed to the Austrian federal government to call a crisis meeting and work together with the SPÖ on measures that protect women from violence.

“We mourn the murdered women,” said Holzleitner, according to a statement.

Her thoughts are with the bereaved and call for "finally to implement a national action plan to protect against violence in order to protect women's lives in Austria."

This action plan should create a permanent crisis team made up of ministries and victim protection institutions.

In addition, violence prevention clinics and regular risk conferences should be introduced across the board, demanded Holzleitner.

It was “a black day for women in Austria,” she said.

Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) has not yet commented.

A suspect arrested, a husband is wanted

On Friday morning, a 13-year-old and her 51-year-old mother were found dead in Vienna.

“Due to the injuries, it must be assumed that the crime was a homicide,” the police said.

Investigations would also be carried out in the “family circle of the victims”.

According to media reports, the father or husband is considered a suspect and is being searched for.

In the evening, the police found three dead women with stab wounds in a brothel.

The women are said to have worked in the brothel.

According to police, a 27-year-old was arrested near the scene.

He was therefore carrying a knife, which is the suspected murder weapon.

According to a spokesman, the man himself had stab wounds.

According to the police, the arrested suspect is a man of Afghan nationality.

An FPÖ politician used the suspect's origins as an opportunity to spread sentiment against asylum seekers and other migrants.

He did not comment on the second murder case, which is being investigated in the family environment of those killed.

According to the UN, 89,000 women and girls will have been killed worldwide in 2022.

That was the highest level in 20 years.

More than half of these murders, around 55 percent, were committed by family members or (ex-)partners (read more about this here).

kko