The case of Arlinda Zekaj has prompted strong political reactions after the Kosovo Judicial Council announced that she had had a protection order, while the indictment against her husband was filed only after her murder. The opposition is calling for Justice Minister Donika Gërvalla and Interior Minister Xhelal Sveçla to be removed from office.
Prime Minister Albin Kurti and the two ministers are not present at today’s plenary session of the Assembly of Kosovo. Opposition representatives link them to the failures of the law enforcement and justice institutions to prevent the murder, while calling on Kurti to dismiss the officials responsible.
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LDK leader Lumir Abdixhiku said as he entered the Assembly that Zekaj’s murder demonstrates the failure of institutions in Kosovo. He called for responsibility to extend through the chain of command and to the political level. According to him, statements after tragedies are not enough; there must be collective responsibility for violence against women.
Opposition lawmakers present in the chamber also expressed their dissatisfaction. PDK’s Blerta Deliu-Kodra said she was shocked by the police’s actions in the Peja case, while LDK lawmaker Jehona Lushaku Sadriu called for a response from the prime minister.
The Alliance for the Future of Kosovo has also joined calls for the resignation of Gërvalla and Sveçla. The AAK attributes responsibility for the failure of the strategy against violence to the Ministry of Justice. It is calling for Sveçla’s removal, describing the way the case was handled as “fatal mismanagement.”
Arlinda Zekaj, 49, was killed on Sunday in Vitomiricë, Peja. The following day, the Kosovo Police arrested her brother-in-law, who is suspected of killing her.
The revelation that Zekaj had a protection order and that the indictment against her husband was filed late has intensified public anger. The case has raised questions about the actions of the police, prosecution and courts.
On October 26, the Assembly of Kosovo held an extraordinary session concerning this murder, the other murders of women, domestic violence and institutional responsibility.
The protest organized yesterday in Pristina by the Collective for Feminist Thought and Action also brought together Arlinda’s family members. Participants marched from Zahir Pajaziti Square toward the Ministry of Justice, the Prosecutorial Council, the Judicial Council, the Police and the Government. They called for the resignation of Gërvalla and Sveçla, while the organizers warned that the protests would escalate.
Another protest for justice for Arlinda Zekaj has been announced today in Ferizaj, at 12:00. The march will begin in front of the Municipal Building and stop near several public institutions.
