Accountability after the Vitomirica murder
Arlinda Zekaj died Sunday evening in the village of Vitomirica, near Peja, shortly after returning home from a police station where she reported domestic abuse. Her death follows a failed attempt to seek protection, as Zekaj had asked the local prosecution to intervene against violent attacks three days before she was killed. I find the court’s previous handling of her case completely unacceptable, specifically the ruling by judge Migjen Kastrati that allowed Zekaj and her ex-husband Jeton Sylaj to live in the same household if they maintained a distance of two metres. Jeton Sylaj faces a domestic abuse indictment for threatening Zekaj and was remanded in custody for 30 days on Tuesday on suspicion of contempt of court. He told the court, "I feel regret for what happened, I tried to prevent it." Sylaj was detained Sunday evening after Zekaj made a call to the police around two hours before she was murdered. Police also arrested Zekaj’s brother-in-law, Albert Sylaj, on Tuesday on suspicion of involvement in the killing.
Protesters in Pristina
Hundreds of protesters rallied in Pristina on Wednesday, marching from the main square to the Ministry of Justice and through several other government buildings to demand the resignations of Justice Minister Donika Gervalla, Internal Affairs Minister Xhelal Svecla, and Peja mayor Gazmend Muhaxheri. They demand the dismissal of chief prosecutor Lumturije Vucetaj, prosecutor Suada Rama Hamza, court president Shemsedin Haxhiaj, welfare centre director Shpresa Lukaj, and judge Migjen Kastrati. Activists demand social housing for survivors, justice system vetting, legalised self-defence for women, and treating femicide as a national emergency. Prime Minister Albin Kurti blamed the judiciary during a government meeting on Wednesday, saying a murder preceded by such warnings "could not, in fact, have ended any other way." I find Justice Minister Gervalla’s parliamentary claim that "Unfortunately, Arlinda did not turn to the government" for help to be a direct insult. This killing is the seventh time a woman has been murdered by a family member in Kosovo in 2026. This follows the October 9 deaths of Nafije Bogujevci and Egzon Bogujevci, where Nafije’s husband later turned himself in to the police. In August, two women, aged 25 and 80, were killed by their husbands when the first was shot and the second was beaten to death.
