The German Federal Minister of Justice, Stefanie Hubig (SPD), plans to refine the Penal Code, specifically to address so-called “femicides” and killings motivated by gender. She intends to amend the statute governing murder.
Minister Hubig stated in interviews that the aim of the proposed legal change is to ensure that individuals who kill purely because of their victim’s gender are convicted of murder, provided all other legal elements are met.
While she acknowledged that current law already allows for the criminal classification of a woman’s death resulting from a possessive motive, she pointed out discrepancies in judicial sentencing. According to Hubig, judicial decisions have historically tended to classify such cases-for instance, attributing the killing to jealousy or rage-thereby reducing the perpetrator’s culpability and potentially limiting the conviction to manslaughter rather than murder.
The proposed legislative clarification aims to alter this practice, ensuring that killings motivated by gender remain classified as murder under the law. This reclassification would have significant consequences for the sentencing. According to the Minister, only a murder conviction can potentially lead to a life sentence, whereas a conviction for manslaughter only allows for a limited term, with the possibility of release after a set number of years, such as ten or twelve.
