Police search for suspected brother after Dijon apartment killing
Police are searching for a 24-year-old man suspected of killing his sister in Dijon and injuring their mother.
Event / Politics
Ongoing documentation of intimate partner violence statistics and femicide cases in France, including policy responses and protective measures.
2026-09-22 to 2026-10-28 · UTC publication dates
Coverage begins 22 Sept, 14:58 UTC
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A 53-year-old woman was discovered unconscious in a bedroom in the Fontaine d'Ouche neighborhood of Dijon with injuries to her face and ribs. She was pronounced dead shortly after emergency services arrived. Police responded after neighbors heard screams coming from a second-floor apartment around 12:30 AM on the night of Wednesday to Thursday, September 24-25, 2026.
A 34-year-old man was arrested at the scene after police found him in a state of agitation attempting to jump from the second-floor window. He was taken into custody and an investigation was opened for homicide by cohabitant. The suspect had been in a relationship with the victim for a short time and had no prior history of domestic violence.
According to data from the French government's interministerial mission for the protection of women, 107 women were killed by their current or former spouse in 2024, compared to 96 in 2023, representing an increase of 11 percent.
The French National Assembly's committee approved a provision extending the legal definition of pimping to include remote sexual acts performed on platforms like Onlyfans and Mym. The provision targets both platform intermediaries and users, creating a new offense for purchasing such remote sexual services. The regulation aims to address the growth of platforms specializing in paid sexual content, particularly among younger audiences.
French deputies adopted measures increasing penalties for non-consensual distribution of sexual content to three years imprisonment and 75,000 euros in fines, and to five years imprisonment and 100,000 euros in fines when distributed online. The provision establishes that consent to creating or sending intimate content does not constitute consent to its distribution.
A comprehensive bill addressing sexual violence, including sexual harassment and domestic violence, is scheduled to be debated in the full National Assembly on October 1. The bill contains multiple provisions addressing criminal responses to various forms of sexual violence.
French deputies voted to criminalize not only the distribution but also the creation of sexually explicit deepfakes without the consent of the person depicted. Special sanctions were created for deepfakes representing minors. According to data presented, there were 500,000 deepfakes in 2023 and 8 million in 2025, with approximately 98 percent being pornographic in nature.
French deputies adopted an amendment criminalizing pornographic images representing minors, including those produced with adult actors appearing as minors, and content depicting incestuous rape. The measure addresses the distribution of such material online.
Police are searching for a 24-year-old man suspected of killing his sister in Dijon and injuring their mother.
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France documented 107 femicide deaths by intimate partners during 2024.
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France expands sexual violence law with digital protections, deepfake criminalization, and increased penalties.