Deliu-Kodra calls for resignations after Arlinda Zekaj’s murder: Institutions failed to protect her

Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) MP Blerta Deliu-Kodra has called on institutional officials to take responsibility and resign following the murder of Arlinda Zekaj. She said the state had failed to protect the victim, even though she had sought help.

During an extraordinary session of the Kosovo Assembly, Deliu-Kodra criticized the way institutions are responding to violence and the murders of women. According to her, the speeches and statements made in the Assembly have not prevented such cases from recurring.

She called on government representatives to act and take responsibility, rather than wait for another victim before responding. The MP stressed that a minute of silence and public condemnations of violence are not enough in the face of a situation that is becoming normalized in Kosovo.

Deliu-Kodra said that 95 cases of murdered women had been read out in the Assembly, while the perpetrators, according to her, had not been deterred by the statements made in the plenary hall. She questioned whether a functioning state exists in Kosovo and whether institutions are enforcing the laws, since failures to comply with the legislation in force have been discussed thousands of times.

The MP called for institutional responsibility not to be limited to words, recalling that Arlinda’s murder has left a child without a mother.

Addressing government representatives, she asked whether they would wait until the next case before appearing in the session again and declaring that they had fulfilled their duty. Deliu-Kodra said that someone must resign and be held accountable, while reminding the minister that she bears responsibility for the situation. She concluded by emphasizing that a woman had left her child an orphan and that the state had failed to protect her.