You will end up like Arlinda”: Mitrovica hospital director arrested over allegations of threatening his wife

Gëzim Berisha, who until a few hours earlier had been heading Mitrovica General Hospital, was arrested by Kosovo Police on Friday evening.

His detention was not related to the position he held at the healthcare institution, but to suspicions of domestic violence.

Berisha’s wife reported him to the police, claiming that he had threatened her, saying that the same thing would happen to her as had happened to Arlinda Zekaj.

On the orders of the duty prosecutor, Berisha was detained for 48 hours.

“On the orders of the duty prosecutor, the person with the initials G.B. was detained for 48 hours on suspicion of committing the criminal offense of ‘Domestic violence,’” said Kaltrina Shala, a spokesperson for the Basic Prosecution Office in Pristina.

According to information about the case, this is not the first time Berisha has been suspected of using violence against his wife.

She had previously reported that she was continuously subjected to psychological violence. The couple have not been living together for several months.

Following the involvement of the head of a healthcare institution in criminal proceedings, the Hospital and University Clinical Service of Kosovo also reacted.

HUCSK announced that Gëzim Berisha had been suspended from his position as director of Mitrovica General Hospital.

“The HUCSK General Directorate immediately authorized the Legal Office to officially contact the competent authorities to urgently verify these allegations. For HUCSK, these reports are extremely concerning. Our institutional position is unequivocal: violence in any form is punishable and will not be tolerated under any circumstances. Based on the official information that will be received from the competent authorities, HUCSK will take the strictest administrative and legal measures against the director in question,” the statement said.

The incident became public at a time when ongoing protests are being held in Kosovo, demanding institutional accountability for the killing of Arlinda Zekaj.