The brutal murder of Arlinda Zekaj by her brother-in-law has shocked the entire country. Concerns over violence against women, domestic violence, the police’s failure to respond, and the functioning—or lack thereof—of the judicial system have prompted citizens to take to the streets in protest.
Among their demands, protesters have called not only for accountability and responsibility throughout the chain of command in the police, prosecution and courts in Peja, but also for resignations or dismissals by the government. Attention has focused on Justice Minister Donika Gërvalla, who has held the position since the spring of this year, and Interior Minister Xhelal Sveçla, who has been in office since 2021.
However, neither Gërvalla nor Sveçla shares the protesters’ position. Both have rejected the idea that the government bears responsibility for the case.
Asked whether the government had failed in this case, Sveçla denied it, even accusing journalists of having “illusions.”
“Which government? Can you tell me what the government’s responsibility is? If you expect the entire system to operate without difficulties in governance, then you are living under illusions, I’m sorry,” Sveçla said on Friday.
Gërvalla, meanwhile, rejected calls for her resignation and asked journalists to “allow” them to “do their jobs.”
“If I believed that resignation would be the mechanism through which we could contribute to identifying responsibilities more accurately, more quickly and more thoroughly, including responsibilities for both action and inaction, I would have resigned. I believe exactly the opposite. Citizens of the Republic of Kosovo know that throughout my political life I have stood on the side of victims, at considerable public cost. I assure you that victims of domestic violence have their strongest ally today in the National Coordinator. Allow us to do our job. Allow us to ensure that responsibilities are brought to light, identified and addressed, and then we can discuss the issue of resignations again,” she said.
In addition to rejecting resignation calls, Gërvalla also denied that protesters were against her and Sveçla, suggesting that only certain individuals were targeting them, despite the demands for her resignation.
“You said something that is completely untrue. You said the protesters are against us. No, sir. The protesters are with Arlinda. They are not against us. Apart from certain individuals who want to politicise this tragic case to the extreme. But they are not against us. They are demanding accountability from us. Speaking on behalf of the people out there does not contribute to this,” she added.
Sveçla also rejected both his own resignation and that of Gërvalla. He argued that such a move would not contribute to strengthening women’s rights.
“Ten years ago, I resigned from a position despite having no responsibility whatsoever for the case at the time, because I believed my resignation would help improve practices in that field. Today, I do not believe our resignations would contribute to empowering women or strengthening their rights, because we are fully committed to that cause,” he stated.
However, Ehat Miftaraj of the Kosovo Law Institute (KLI) disagrees with the ministers. He said that, regardless of their statements, Sveçla and Gërvalla cannot evade their institutional and moral responsibility.
Miftaraj called on the ministers to demonstrate dignity, empathy and responsibility, at least out of respect for the pain of the victims’ families. He added that, in cases such as this, “there is no alternative to resignation.”
“Justice Minister Donika Gërvalla and Interior Minister Xhelal Sveçla can shed crocodile tears, perform for Kosovo’s two million citizens, accuse and curse others to cover up their own failures, and try to evade institutional responsibility. They can misuse the government building and behave at press conferences as if they have forgotten that the state and the institutions tasked with protecting citizens’ lives are led precisely by them. They can demand accountability from everyone except themselves. They can use every political excuse to avoid accountability and any sense of guilt over Arlinda’s lost life.
“But there is something they cannot escape: institutional responsibility, moral responsibility, their lack of empathy, and the shame that will follow them whenever people remember the lives of women killed by the state they lead. Power is not merely a privilege. It is a responsibility. And when you are at the helm of the state, you cannot simultaneously act as both the government and the opposition to the failures of the institutions you lead.
“At the very least, out of respect for the grief of families who have lost their loved ones, show some dignity, empathy and responsibility. In cases like these, resignation has no alternative,” Miftaraj wrote.
Meanwhile, 11 police officers were suspended yesterday in connection with the murder of Arlinda Zekaj. Nevertheless, protesters and numerous public voices have continued to demand the resignations of Sveçla and Gërvalla.
