ZAGREB, 15 Dec (Hina) – Prime Minister and HDZ leader Andrej Plenković on Monday urged courts to make full use of the tools and tough penalties available to combat femicide, saying it was deeply worrying that the latest case involved a registered abuser whom the system should have prevented from becoming a killer.

Condemning the 19th killing of a woman this year, Plenković recalled that, at the government’s initiative, gender-based killing has been explicitly defined as femicide in the Criminal Code. He said Croatia is one of only five EU member states to have such an offence enshrined in its criminal legislation.

“The penalties are extremely severe. Unfortunately, violence is not a phenomenon limited to Croatia, but what is particularly concerning in this case is that we had a known abuser whom the system should have stopped before he became a killer,” Plenković said after a meeting of the HDZ Presidency and National Council.

He called on courts to apply the toughest penalties and measures, stressing that criminal policy serves both punitive and preventive purposes, deterring offenders and potential perpetrators alike.

Plenković said the government has held extensive talks with organisations protecting victims of violence, particularly women and children, and has worked to improve coordination between institutions that previously operated in silos. He said protocols, mechanisms and laws have since been introduced, and expects all institutions to fully use the tools at their disposal.

“Sadly, there will always be individuals who behave in a completely unacceptable way. This can only be condemned. There is no state or mechanism that can eradicate it entirely,” Plenković said.