Translated automatically by AI from the Italian original.
PRISTINA – “Shame, justice, resign”. This was the banner that came to symbolise the third consecutive day of large-scale street protests in Pristina, sparked by yet another femicide that has shocked public opinion and Kosovo’s institutions. At the heart of the mobilisation is the unconditional demand for justice for Arlinda Zekaj, 49, brutally killed last Sunday by her brother-in-law with an axe. A murder carried out despite the repeated criminal complaints and danger reports the woman had filed with the police.
What turned grief into a wave of popular indignation was the circulation of a handwritten letter by the victim, written before her death, with prophetic and accusatory tones towards those who were supposed to protect her:
“I hope the day never comes when you are forced to answer for your actions only after my life has been taken.”
— Arlinda Zekaj, femicide victim
The march through the city and the symbolic siege of the seats of power
Protesters, who initially gathered in Zahir Pajaziti Square, marched along a route that took in the symbolic locations of power and the judicial administration: from the Ministry of Justice to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, from the Judicial Council to police headquarters and the government building. Leading the procession were Zekaj’s relatives, including her sisters.
The citizens’ anger also took the form of demonstrations and slogans painted on the facades of institutional buildings:
- Kosovo Police headquarters: the striking phrase “Who protects us from the police?” was painted in red.
- Government building: the slogan “Justice for Arlinda” appeared.
Calls for resignations and accusations of negligence
The protest, promoted and organised by the Collective for Feminist Thought and Action, was attended by hundreds of citizens. The demonstrators’ target was the top executive, with immediate resignations demanded from the justice minister Donika Gërvalla and the interior minister Xhelal Sveçla.
Strong criticism came from the streets against the system for protecting victims of domestic violence:
“The police ignore, underestimate and despise women and girls who file complaints about violence and ask for help. We demand that the authorities be held directly accountable for their omissions and responsibilities.”
— Protest spokesperson during the march
