A report by the Council of Europe shows that the Dutch police systematically fail to address honor-related violence and femicide. The Netherlands takes too little account of power imbalances between men and women. The police often refer to domestic violence as “violence in dependent relationships” and treat it as if both parties are equally at fault. As a result, family honor and coercion are not taken seriously. Threats are underestimated, and women receive protection too late or not at all.

What goes wrong at the police?

• Threats of serious violence or murder are often not taken seriously.
• Dangerous warning signs such as separation, pregnancy, or family pressure are overlooked.
• No systematic investigation is conducted into all murders of women to see if earlier warning signs were missed.
• Possible suicides resulting from prolonged violence remain uninvestigated.
• Training on honor-related violence exists, but it is neither mandatory nor consistently adequate.

This pattern is clearly visible in the arson murder of Narges Achikzei in Zeist. There were clear indications that honor was involved: family conflicts, threats, and pressure to preserve family honor. Yet the police chose not to take this motive seriously. The murder was dismissed as jealousy or a quarrel, without investigating honor as a possible reason. This is a classic example of cover-up.

The National Expertise Center for Honor-Related Violence (LEC EGG), which advises the police on honor killings, is partly responsible for the poor handling of these murders.

The GREVIO report criticizes the entire system: too gender-neutral, poor risk assessments, and no proper analysis of murders. Since LEC EGG are the experts assisting the police on honor-related violence, part of this criticism also applies to them. If the police fail, the expertise they rely on fails as well.

The report is very clear: the Netherlands must change. The police must always carefully consider power dynamics, take threats seriously, and review what went wrong after every murder of a woman.

We call on the Dutch Inspectorate for Justice and Security to conduct a proper investigation into both the police’s failures and the advice given by LEC EGG. Start with the case of Narges Achikzei in Zeist. This is not a one-time error, but a structural problem that has persisted for years and costs lives.