The case of the assassination of Arlinda Zekiaj, who lost his life on October 25th in Vitomirica of Pec, will be today in the focus of a special parliamentary investigative commission in the Kosovo Assembly.
The commission, comprised of representatives of all political parties, will hold its first meeting at 11:30 today, in order to review the circumstances preceding the assassination and identification of actions or inactions of responsible institutions.
Part of this commission is Kosovo Assembly Vice President Emilia Rexhepi, who has said that through this process it is intended to understand whether there have been obstacles or institutional failures in handling the case.
We’ll have to confirm all circumstances ahead of Arlinda’s murder. The number of murders of our women is enormous and this shows that we, as a whole society, have problems we have to face, Rexhepi has declared.
She has announced that the commission will commit to analyse the way institutions acted during the case’s treatment.
We will give our best to see how the investigation is going about the Arlinda case and see if the institutions, perhaps somewhere, are blocked in this process, Rexhepi has indicated.
The commission is headed by Burim Ramadani and is founded by the Assembly of Kosovo by 90 votes for. Its mandate is to investigate institutional actions and inactions regarding the Arlinda case and the treatment of violence against women and children in the family.
What is known about the case of Arlinda Zekit?
Arlinda Zekaj, 49-year-old, was killed on 25 October in Vitomirica in Pec. Her murder was suspected of the former plot, which was arrested on October 27th in Decani.
The case had prompted numerous reactions, especially because of the victim’s ongoing warnings to institutions about violence and the impending danger.
Arlinda had reported physical and psychological violence, sought institutional protection, and raised concerns about her safety.
On October 16, the Constitutional Court in Pec had issued a six – month emergency defense order through which Arlinda had been enabled to exploit the common house and the boy’s temporary custody.
However, the situation had continued to remain tense. Just two days before the assassination, on October 23rd, a police official had e-mailed police officers, demanding additional security measures and daily visits of police patrols.
In his communication, the official had warned of distressing circumstances in his victim’s home.
On October 25, Arlinda had returned to her home in a police escort, while only a short time later she had been killed.
The event has raised numerous questions about how institutions had handled its reports and whether the murder could have been prevented through a more effective response.
After the assassination, Kosovo’s Assembly had adopted a resolution and later established the parliamentary investigative commission, which already starts work to review institutional responsibilities and shed light on all the circumstances of the case.
Parliamentary investigation is expected to focus on dealing with the victim’s indictments, implementation of safeguard clauses and actions of institutions responsible for its murder. /Telegraphy/