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Thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets across Kosovo following the murder of 49-year-old Arlinda Zekaj in the village of Vitomirica near Peja. Zekaj was killed in her bedroom with an axe on October 25, shortly after police dropped her off at home despite her repeated requests for protection against her husband’s family.
Escalating Abuse and Neglected Warnings
Zekaj had repeatedly contacted law enforcement regarding domestic abuse prior to her death. During the summer, she reported her husband for issuing threats against her, prompting a court in Peja to issue a protection order. The order granted her temporary custody of her son and allowed her to remain in the family home, while requiring her husband to maintain a distance of at least two meters inside the house and 20 meters outside. Zekaj declined to move to a women’s shelter in order to stay in her home with her son.
Despite the court order, Zekaj continued filing complaints about ongoing threats from her husband’s brother, Albert Sylaj. On October 22, she notified police that Sylaj and other relatives were inside her home without her consent, reporting that Sylaj told her, “Leave or I’ll kill you.” Law enforcement officers questioned Sylaj only as a witness in the case against her husband.
On October 25, Zekaj reported her husband again, leading to his arrest. She explicitly requested additional protection against his family. Officers drove her home and left her at 8:58 p.m. At 9:10 p.m., police responded to an emergency call at the house and discovered Zekaj’s body in her bedroom. Sylaj fled the scene but was arrested by police near Peja on October 27 and is currently under investigation for murder.
Public Outrage and Political Fallout
The murder marks the eighth femicide reported in Kosovo this year, bringing the total number of women killed by partners or family members since 2010 to 55. The incident triggered widespread demonstrations across the country. On October 26, feminist activists poured red paint on the entrance steps of the government headquarters in Pristina, displaying a banner stating, “The state killed Arlinda.” Subsequent rallies on November 1 saw thousands marching with pictures of domestic violence victims under the slogan, “The government has blood on its hands.”
Demonstrators are calling for the immediate resignation of Interior Minister Xhelal Svecla and Justice Minister Donika Gervalla, whom Prime Minister Albin Kurti named national coordinator for protection against domestic violence in March. Both ministers have refused to step down, though Prime Minister Kurti acknowledged that state institutions had “failed.”
Following the killing, several senior police officials in the Peja region and the prosecutor handling Zekaj’s complaints were suspended from their posts.
Calls for Systemic Reform and Legal Action
Legal experts and activists contend that administrative suspensions fall short of addressing structural failings. Writing for the news portal Nacionale, lawyer Njomeza Zejnullahu stated, “After every murder, we hear the same word: failure. ‘The institutions have failed.’ I disagree. Failure is when something happens once, when a system that normally works breaks down at one point. When the cases keep repeating themselves, when the victims are almost always women and each of them had previously knocked on the door of an institution, it is no longer a failure. It is a collapse of the state and society in relation to women in general.”
Political scientist and Kolektivi Feminist activist Liridona Sijarina told DW that accountability must extend across the legal and administrative framework. Sijarina stated that all officials involved, including police, prosecutors, judges, Mayor of Peja Gazmend Muhaxheri, and cabinet ministers, should face criminal prosecution for failing to fulfill their official duties.
Activists are urging the Interior Ministry to establish a specialized unit focused on women’s safety as a national security issue to prevent future femicides. Additionally, the movement is calling on the government to prioritize social housing legislation to ensure domestic violence survivors receive housing support.
“In our view,” said Sijarina, “the behavior of the institutions so far has deepened women’s distrust of the state and, as a result, allowed violence against them to escalate. The government now has the opportunity to show whether it truly takes women’s lives seriously by clearly responding to our demands.”
