The Kosovo Police Inspectorate (IPK) has identified several suspected shortcomings in its initial findings concerning how reports involving Arlinda Zekaj, who was killed in Vitomiricë, Peja, were handled. According to the Inspectorate, one protection order does not appear to have been enforced, another was enforced six days after it was issued, and an investigator’s request for the case to be assessed was not reviewed by the chain of command.
The investigation is being conducted with authorization from the State Prosecutor’s Office and aims to verify police officers’ actions and whether procedures were followed in handling Zekaj’s reports, the IPK said.
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As reported by “Bota sot,” one of the issues identified concerns the protection order issued on September 7, 2026. The IPK says its records do not show that the Kosovo Police enforced it.
The other protection order, issued on October 16, 2026, was enforced on October 22, six days later. According to the Inspectorate, this happened after its official intervention, which followed information received directly from Arlinda Zekaj.
The IPK has also raised questions about an email dated October 23, 2026, that a police investigator sent to the chain of command. The investigator requested that the case be assessed and additional assistance provided, but senior officers did not address the message.
In the email, the investigator had suggested that, while Zekaj was staying at home, uniformed patrol officers make visits and maintain more frequent contact with her. He said this would help establish what was happening inside the home.
The preliminary findings also include suspected shortcomings in handling domestic violence, assessing the level of risk, and enforcing decisions by the competent court. According to the IPK, the issues involve the chain of command at the Peja Regional Police Directorate, Peja Police Station, Vitomiricë Police Substation, and investigative units at both regional and station levels.
The Inspectorate’s initial assessment has once again drawn attention to how Arlinda Zekaj’s reports were handled and the measures taken to assess the risk she faced.
The IPK said the investigation will continue in cooperation with the relevant justice institutions, while respecting legality, the presumption of innocence, and the integrity of the investigative process.
