Adelina Hoxha, the lawyer who represented Arlinda Zekaj, the 49-year-old woman killed in Vitomirica, Peja, has recounted that her client had repeatedly expressed fear that she would be killed. According to Hoxha, Zekaj had told her that her ex-husband spent most of his time with people who bore the surname Haradinaj.
“Arlinda emphasized to me: ‘He’s going to kill me because he spends all his time with the Haradinajs,’” Hoxha said.
Të lidhura
None found
The lawyer clarified that mentioning this surname was not intended to accuse anyone or assign responsibility to anyone. She said she considered it her professional and moral duty to convey what the victim had told her before the killing.
The fact that the surname Haradinaj was mentioned does not constitute evidence that anyone with this surname was involved in the case. So far, the justice institutions have not published any information linking people with the surname Haradinaj to the killing.
Police director resigns
Following the case, Gazmend Hoxha, the Director General of the Kosovo Police, resigned. On Friday, Prime Minister Albin Kurti announced that he had accepted Hoxha’s request and relieved him of his duties. At the proposal of Minister Xhelal Sveçla, an acting official was appointed to the post. In a statement to Radio Free Europe, Hoxha described his departure as a “moral resignation.”
Suspensions in the police and prosecution service
The Kosovo Police suspended 11 Peja police officers a day earlier because of the way the case had been handled. Meanwhile, the Kosovo Prosecutorial Council published its decision regarding Peja’s deputy chief prosecutor. According to the KPC, she had been aware that the order protecting Arlinda Zekaj had been violated on October 22, but had not taken the necessary prosecutorial measures.
The opposition described the measure as insufficient. The PDK said that the police director’s resignation did not absolve Minister Sveçla of responsibility for the failures at the institution. Meanwhile, Justice Minister Donika Gërvalla had earlier refused to resign.
Killing followed repeated warnings
On the evening of October 25, Arlinda Zekaj was killed with an axe near her home in Vitomirica. The incident occurred just minutes after police had escorted her to the shared home, in implementation of a court decision. That same day, she had reported her ex-husband for domestic violence, while he had been detained for 48 hours. Her brother-in-law, who is suspected of the killing, was arrested in Deçan late on October 27.
Zekaj had sought support from the institutions for several months. Two days before she was killed, she had addressed Peja’s chief prosecutor in writing, complaining about the way the case had been handled and the failure to implement the court’s decision. Prime Minister Kurti described the incident as the result of a chain of systemic failures by the institutions. The killing sparked protests in Pristina, Peja and other cities.
