Suspect in a young woman's murder has been extradited, as Italians prepare to protest violence against women.

 

On Saturday, an Italian man suspected of murdering his ex-girlfriend in a case that has shook the country was extradited from Germany, as thousands of people prepared to go to the streets to celebrate International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

Filippo Turetta, 21, arrived at Venice airport around midday. According to Italian media, he will be promptly taken to a prison in the northern city of Verona to face questions in the inquiry into Giulia Cecchettin’s death.

Cecchettin, 22, vanished after meeting Turetta for a burger at a shopping mall near Venice, just days before receiving her biomedical engineering degree. The case engulfed Italy.

Her body was discovered on November 18 in a ditch near a lake in the Alps’ foothills, shrouded in black plastic bags. Turetta was apprehended the next day in Germany.

The shooting of Cecchettin has provoked an unparalleled outpouring of sadness and indignation in the country, where many women claim patriarchal views are still prevalent.

According to data from the Italian Interior Ministry, 106 women have been killed in Italy this year, with 55 of them allegedly murdered by a boyfriend or former lover.

According to Italy’s RAI state television, calls to a national hotline for women fearing for their safety at the hands of men have increased from 200 to 400 per day in the days since Cecchettin’s body was discovered.