‘Not one more murder’: Greek women demand legal change to stop spate of femicides

Campaigners say sexism in Greece extends to the criminal justice system and that attitudes must change to prevent violence against women, writes Moira Lavelle in Athens

A woman holds candles during a protest against femicide in Athens (EPA-EFE)

When Nektaria was killed by her ex-husband last month in Crete, she became the 13th victim of femicide in Greece so far in 2021 - a chilling figure that has rocked the country.

Reports of domestic violence have soared this year while brutal killings of women - happening at the rate of one a month - have dominated Greek media coverage and raised questions about the police’s response as well as the workings of the country’s laborious legal system.

But for Zambia Lazanaki, a preschool teacher in Crete, Nektaria was not just a statistic, headline, or talking point.