Released primary suspect in Diana Gramma femicide sparks anger in Schaerbeek
Ibrahim E., the ex-partner suspected of murdering Diana Gramma in December 2024, was released on Friday following a procedural error. The neighbourhood and family have reacted with bewilderment and anger.
Ex-suspect in femicide freed following procedural error, Schaerbeek community reacts with bewilderment
Ibrahim E., the primary suspect in the murder of Diana Andreaa Gramma in December 2024, left prison on Friday following a decision by the Brussels chamber of indictment. La Libre reports. A technical procedural dispute forced the judges to rule in favour of the suspect, resulting in his remand in custody — which had lasted nearly two years — being lifted.
On Saturday, in the neighbourhood around the Ruya Café in Schaerbeek, where Diana was stabbed to death on 3 December 2024, there was both anger and bewilderment. The 36-year-old woman was manager of the café and was killed by stab wounds in the back room of the establishment. Her ex-partner was placed under suspicion of murder shortly after the incident.
Procedural error forces release
An Schoonjans, press officer for the Brussels prosecutor general's office, stated to news agency Belga that the chamber of indictment "was of the opinion that the doubt should be resolved in the suspect's favour, resulting in his release". The prosecutor general's office immediately informed the victim's family of the decision.
The case is in principle to be referred shortly to the Brussels assize court. Whether Ibrahim E. will appear at the hearing or flee in the meantime remains an open question. The Brussels prosecutor has immediately opened two separate investigations — one criminal and one administrative — to establish the cause of the procedural error.
"How can we still have confidence in justice?"
For Diana's family and friends, this judicial blunder is a fresh blow. VTM Nieuws spoke with Mila, the woman's best friend, who now works at the Ruya Café herself. Diana's sister had informed her on Friday evening of the impending release of the suspect. "How can we still have confidence in justice?" Mila asks aloud.
Diana was described by those around her as a warm, friendly woman who had created a meeting place with her café. Before her death, she had told various close contacts how afraid she was of her ex-partner. She was trying to build a new life, but the man had allegedly harassed her, intimidated her, threatened her, and repeatedly appeared in the vicinity of the café.
In June of last year, a memorial stone and commemorative plaque were installed on the pavement at the location where Diana was murdered in her memory. The installation was also intended to make violence against women — including femicide — visible in public space.
Femicide count comes to standstill
How many women in Belgium become victims of femicide is currently not officially quantified. A framework law on "femicide" from 2023 provided for official gender-related homicide registration. An implementing decision was supposed to come into force on 1 October 2025, but this has not happened to date.
The delay is due to technical and methodological problems: femicide does not constitute an autonomous criminal offence, meaning that multiple data points must be cross-referenced — the gender of victim and perpetrator, the relationship between them and the nature of the killing — rather than simply ticking a single box.
Meanwhile, the civic platform Stop Féminicide conducted an unofficial count based on media monitoring. In 2025, the organisation recorded 27 femicides — on average at least two per month. However, the counter stopped in August 2026 after two of three subsidies were withdrawn. Belgium thus no longer has any systematic count.
Latest case: Elvira in Oudergem
The silent tragedy continues. The most recent case concerns Elvira, a woman in her thirties and lawyer by profession. In the night of Saturday 24 to Sunday 25 October, she was killed by a stabbing weapon in her ground-floor flat in Oudergem. Her ex-partner entered through the bathroom window and was arrested the same day. On 30 October, his remand in custody was extended for one month.
Source: La Libre