Femicide in Amsterdam: 30-Year-Old Dragana Stabbed to Death by Her Ex-Partner

Dragana
Age: 30
Stabbed to death: February 1, 2025
Place of residence: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Origin: Victim: Croatia, Perpetrator: Morocco
Perpetrator: Ex-partner

Dragana, a 30-year-old woman of Croatian descent, lived with her brother in Amsterdam. After ending her relationship with 32-year-old Khalid, he continued to threaten her. In emails, he allegedly threatened to kill her. On January 9, 2025, Dragana reported these threats to the police.

In the night of January 31 to February 1, neighbors heard screaming and loud noises coming from Khalid’s home on Gerard Callenburgstraat. Around 3:50 a.m., the noise stopped. Just over an hour later, at 5:00 a.m., Khalid showed up at the police station covered in blood, with an injury to his hand. He confessed to having killed Dragana.

The police found her body in the apartment. Dragana had been killed with more than forty cuts and stab wounds. There were no other witnesses.

Khalid claimed that he acted in self-defense after Dragana allegedly grabbed a knife, but according to the Public Prosecution Service, there is no evidence to support this. He is currently in pre-trial detention pending psychological and psychiatric evaluation.

What is an honour killing?

An honour killing is a murder in the name of honour. If a brother murders his sister to restore family honour, it is an honour killing. According to activists, the most common reasons for honour killings are as the victim:

refuses to cooperate in an arranged marriage.
wants to end the relationship.
was the victim of rape or sexual assault.
was accused of having a sexual relationship outside of marriage.

Human rights activists believe that 100,000 honour killings are carried out every year, most of which are not reported to the authorities and some are even deliberately covered up by the authorities themselves, for example because the perpetrators are good friends with local policemen, officials or politicians. Violence against girls and women remains a serious problem in Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Serbia and Turkey.