Members of the Legislation Committee have called on the responsible institutions to be held accountable for the murder of Arlinda Zekaj in Vitomiricë, Peja. The victim had asked the relevant authorities for protection just three days before she was killed.
PDK MP Blerta Deliu-Kodra called for the resignation of the case’s chief prosecutor, Lumturie Buçetaj, and the prosecutors responsible. She said that, in the face of repeated cases of violence against women, condolences cannot be the only institutional response.
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Deliu-Kodra said the Legislation Committee should examine accountability throughout the entire chain of command, rather than limiting itself to reactions after murders.
She said Arlinda Zekaj had been killed “at the hands of the state,” having written to the institutions to request support and protection because of threats she had received.
According to Deliu-Kodra, MPs should not be content with expressing condolences, and institutional accountability must be at the center of the discussion. She stressed that the resignation of the case’s chief prosecutor, Lumturie Buçetaj, and the prosecutors responsible was the minimum measure that should be taken.
The PDK MP added that the victim’s letter raises questions about the conscience of society and MPs, since the state failed to protect her. She warned that one day the victim could be a relative or daughter of any of them.
LDK MP Doarsa Kica-Xhelili also criticized the way institutions and politicians have responded to violence against and murders of women. She said that systematic cases had been recorded from 2022 through the end of 2026, while responses had remained limited to Facebook posts, speeches in parliament, extraordinary sessions and policies that had brought no concrete change.
Kica-Xhelili said MPs should ask themselves whether they still had the credibility to tell the women of Kosovo that they could offer them solutions. She called for party differences to be set aside and also referred to a resolution on the issue that she had submitted at the end of 2022, but which, she said, had been politicized.
She stressed that sessions, reports, policies on paper and speeches are not enough if institutions are unable to do their jobs properly. If they cannot solve this problem, she said, MPs should resign and make way for people better able to do so.
Alliance MP Besnik Tahiri described the murder as a failure of the state and the institutions responsible. He called for the establishment of a parliamentary commission of inquiry, saying the matter should be investigated in relation to the police, the prosecution and social work centers.
Tahiri said these three institutions are the main points of contact for cases of domestic violence and threats. He said it must be determined whether the institutions failed deliberately or unintentionally, and those responsible must be held accountable.
He proposed a broader investigation that would also include social education. Tahiri said academics in the sciences, sociologists, psychologists and historians should be involved in the discussion, as society is living in the 21st century and must have the courage to discuss the influence of old norms, including the Kanun.
LVV MP Arijeta Rexhepi said institutions must respond whenever a woman seeks help from the police or other relevant authorities.
Rexhepi said that at upcoming meetings and the extraordinary session, alongside discussions, the responsible authorities should be called to account for how they have fulfilled their duty to protect women and families. She offered her condolences and expressed hope that such cases would not happen again.
At the start of the meeting, Legislation Committee Chair Vigan Qorolli offered condolences to the victim’s family and called for justice to be served.
Qorolli announced that an urgent meeting would be requested this week with representatives of the Kosovo Prosecutorial Council and the Kosovo Judicial Council. “We will urgently request a meeting with representatives of the KPC and KJC,” he said.
Arlinda Zekaj was murdered on Sunday evening in Vitomiricë, Peja. Her brother-in-law is suspected in the case and, according to information made public, remains at large. Initial information indicates that the murder took place inside the house and that the victim was allegedly killed with an axe.
