Protests erupt in Kosovo after Arlinda Zekaj's murder by brother-in-law

Arlinda Zekaj, a 49‑year‑old mother of one, was found dead in her bedroom in the village of Vitomirica near Peja on the night of Oct. 25, after police dropped her off from a squad car and failed to provide the protection she had repeatedly requested. She had asked officers to shield her from her husband’s family, but they dismissed her pleas as exaggeration. Within minutes of the police leaving, her brother‑in‑law, Albert Sylaj, entered the house and killed her with an axe. By the time officers returned to the scene at 9:10 p.m., Zekaj was already dead and Sylaj had fled.

The murder follows a series of ignored warnings that began in the summer when Zekaj reported her husband for threats. A court in Peja issued a protection order that let her keep custody of her son and remain in the family home, while barring her husband from coming within two metres of her inside and twenty metres outside. Zekaj declined to move to a shelter, hoping to stay with her child. Despite the order, she continued to call the police about intimidation from her husband’s relatives, but officials repeatedly told her she was overreacting. Her case became the eighth femicide recorded in Kosovo in 2026, and the most brutal of the year.

The killing sparked nationwide outrage, prompting thousands to flood the streets in the days that followed. Protesters drenched the steps of the government building in Pristina with red paint and displayed banners reading “The state killed Arlinda.” Demonstrations on Oct. 26 and again on Nov. 1 featured photographs of murdered women and chants that the government has “blood on its hands.” Activists are demanding criminal charges against the police officers and prosecutors who handled Zekaj’s case, as well as the resignation of Interior Minister Xhelal Svecla and Justice Minister Donika Gervalla, both appointed by Prime Minister Albin Kurti as coordinators for domestic‑violence protection.

Kurti has acknowledged that state institutions failed Zekaj, but both ministers have refused to step down. The protests have forced the government to promise a review of police procedures and to consider stronger protective measures for women at risk. Human‑rights groups say the case could become a turning point for Kosovo’s handling of domestic violence if the authorities follow through on reforms, but they warn that without accountability the pattern of ignored pleas and fatal outcomes may continue.