Protests in Pristina, organised following the murder of 49-year-old Arlinda Zekaj, will continue on Saturday.
The Feminist Thought and Action Collective has announced that the next protest will begin at 5:00 PM, demanding that the responsible institutions be held accountable for the failures that preceded the tragic incident.
According to the organisers, protesters will gather at Zahir Pajaziti Square, from where they will march towards the Government of Kosovo building and the Kosovo Prosecutorial Council.
The Collective has stated that civic mobilisation will continue until their demands are met and institutions take responsibility for their actions and failures to act.
In their public appeal, the organisers have called on citizens to join the protests, stressing that they are demanding justice for Arlinda and for all women who have been murdered.
Protests in the capital have been ongoing for three consecutive days. Initially, demonstrators called for the resignation or dismissal of the Ministers of Justice and Internal Affairs. During Friday’s protest, their demands expanded to include the justice system, particularly accountability within the judiciary.
Arlinda Zekaj, 49, was murdered on October 25. Her former brother-in-law, Albert Sylaj, has been arrested as a suspect in connection with the killing.
The case has raised serious concerns about how institutions handled the victim’s reports and requests for protection. On the day of the murder, her former husband, Jeton Sylaj, had been detained by police after Zekaj reported him for violating a protection order.
Furthermore, just three days before her murder, she had sent a letter to the Chief Prosecutor of Peja, warning that her life was in danger.
Following the incident, the Chief Prosecutor of Peja, one prosecutor and 11 police officers were suspended, while Police Director Gazmend Hoxha resigned.
