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The state killed Arlinda”: QIKA demands institutional accountability from the government

In front of the Government of Kosovo building, the QIKA organization held a symbolic action over the killing of Arlinda Sylaj Zekaj, calling on the responsible institutions to be held accountable. Red paint was thrown onto the building’s steps, while a banner bearing the message “The state killed Arlinda” was placed near the entrance.

QIKA activist Blenda Asllani said that all institutions that, according to her, failed to protect Zekaj must be investigated and brought to justice.

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According to Asllani, the red paint thrown onto the government’s steps represents the accusation against the state for failing to respond and protect the victim’s life.

Asllani: The state must be held accountable for the tragic incident in Peja

“The institutions that contributed to the failure to protect Arlinda must be investigated and held accountable before the law. The red paint we threw onto the government’s steps today is an accusation. It represents the memory of the lives lost and the responsibility the state must bear. The state killed Arlinda, therefore the state must be held accountable,” Asllani said.

Arlinda Zekaj was killed on Sunday evening in Vitomirica, Peja. Her brother-in-law is suspected of the killing and, according to publicly available information, remains at large.

The incident is believed to have occurred at home, while initial information indicates that the victim may have been killed with an axe.

On October 22, just three days before she was killed, Zekaj had submitted a written complaint to the chief prosecutor of the Basic Prosecution Office in Peja. In the document, she called for urgent measures to be taken against officials of the responsible institutions, claiming that they had failed to carry out their official duties.

The document, bearing an acceptance stamp dated October 22, showed that Zekaj had warned of the danger facing her. She had also expressed fear that the institutions would take action only after a life had been lost.