Murder of Kyriaki Griva
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| Murder of Kyriaki Griva | |
|---|---|
| Location | Agioi Anargyroi, Athens, Greece |
| Date | 1 April 2024 |
Attack type | Murder |
| Victim | Kyriaki Griva |
| Perpetrator | Thanasis Kourelis |
| Motive | Domestic abuse |
| Convictions | Murder |
Kyriaki Griva (Greek: Κυριακή Γρίβα; died 1 April 2024) was a Greek woman who was stabbed to death by her former partner outside of a police station in Athens where she had been declined support from duty officers. Her murder sparked protests across Greece calling for legal reforms to recognise femicide, in addition to the police's handling of domestic abuse cases. She was recorded the fifth woman to be killed by an ex or current partner.[1]
Griva was the daughter of Thanasis Grivas and Despina Kalea and lived in northern Athens.[2][3] She had been in an on and off relationship with Thanasis Kourelis, who was ten years her senior. They had previously separated in 2020 and Griva had subsequently accused him of rape, resulting in a restraining order being granted.[4] Griva did not pursue the rape charge and police did not progress the matter, despite Greek law making it possible to prosecute rape cases ex officio even without the victim's involvement.[5]
Murder
On 1 April 2024, Griva had met with a friend at a café and noticed Kourelis in the vicinity. She was subsequently accompanied with her friend to visit a local police station in Agioi Anargyroi. Griva reported that Kourelis had been loitering outside of her home; while she declined to make a formal complaint, she requested that a police vehicle transport her home for her own safety. Griva was asked by a duty police officer to contact the police emergency line; some press reports stated that she had been told by the officer that there were no vehicles to transport her despite a car and driver being present at the station at the time. Griva walked outside of the station and made a telephone call to the emergency line, where it was alleged that the operator told her "lady, police cars are not taxis". While the operator was taking details from Griva, Kourelis approached her and stabbed her five times in the back. Griva died before paramedics arrived on the scene.[5][6][7][8]
Aftermath
Kourelis stabbed himself at the scene and was arrested by police officers before being taken to hospital for treatment. It was subsequently reported that he had been admitted onto a psychiatric ward.[4][9] Griva's family reported they learned of her murder on social media and after journalists made contact with them asking for comment.[2]
In the days following the murder, following considerable public outcry, the Hellenic Police partially defended the actions of the officers at Agioi Anargyroi station, stating that the order to deploy a police car could only be made by an officer within the Emergency Response Centre. Local press reported that had officers completed checks on Kourelis as Griva made her report, it would have highlighted that in 2020 reports had been filed against him for violence against police officers as well as drug offences.[7][10] Within days, an update was made to the 2022 incident management guide that aimed at providing high levels of police support to women seeking help for domestic abuse.[11]
Michalis Chrisochoidis, the Minister of Citizen Protection, promised a "full, in-depth" investigation into Griva's death, and publicly supported calls for adding the term "femicide" to the Greek penal code. The Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, publicly supported Chrisochoidis, stating the murder was not his fault and that he was trying to change problems "that had been perpetuated for a very long time".[4][7][9] The President of Greece, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, expressed "shock" at the murder, stating it "shakes and angers us", calling on authorities to urgently fight gender-based violence and crime.[4]
In the Hellenic Parliament, the New Left and Syriza introduced legislation that would legally recognise femicide as a crime.[8][12]