PRISTINA, Kosovo — Angry protesters in Kosovo on Wednesday demanded state action over widespread violence against women in the staunchly patriarchal Balkan country, splashing red paint on government buildings in a message to the authorities that they have blood on their hands for failing to prevent it.
Thousands of people joined the rally in the capital Pristina that was called after Arlinda Zekaj, 49, was killed by her brother-in-law on Sunday near the western town of Peja.
“Do we have to die to be taken seriously?” read one of the banners that the protesters carried during their march. Other messages written in red paint said “Men kill women, the state stays silent” or “Down with the patriarchal system. In her letter to the chief prosecutor’s office just three days before she was killed, Zekaj said officials were “shifting responsibility from one to another” thus allowing “the danger to my life to continue.”
Activists say that Zekaj became the eighth victim killed as the result of domestic violence in Kosovo this year.
Police received 2,815 reports of domestic violence in 2025 in Kosovo, a country of around 2 million people, according to the Justice Ministry. Three men have been sentenced to life in prison for killing their partners since the punishment was introduced in 2012.
Police offered no escort, and her brother-in-law killed her with an ax when she got back, according to a relative. “This case raises serious questions about a possible failure in the chain of institutions,” the Kosovo Women’s Network, one of the protest organizers, said. She returned to her home after her husband was detained last weekend for family violence. He then fled the scene and was arrested after several days on the run for murder with a sharp object. Neither has commented on the allegations. The group added in a statement that all institutions must act in coordination when a woman seeks help. Lawmakers established a parliamentary investigative committee to examine possible institutional responsibility in the case.
Kosovo’s Parliament convened for an urgent session on Monday in response to Zekaj’s death.
