Kosovo
Arlinda Zekaj: ex-husband detained, chief prosecutor takes case from Peja, Kurti sets 54-hour deadline
Two days after a woman was killed in Vitomirica near Peja, Kosovo's institutions begin examining their failures, while the main suspect, her former brother-in-law, remains on the run.
By ANN Newsroom · Newsroom
October 27, 2026, 18:05 · Updated 18:42 · 2 min read
In brief
- The Peja court ordered one month of detention for Jeton Sylaj, the victim's ex-husband, for disregarding a court order.
- Chief State Prosecutor Zejnulla Gashi moved three related cases from the Peja prosecution office to Pristina's.
- Kurti gave the interior and justice ministries 54 hours to report; Vetëvendosje (LVV) proposed a parliamentary inquiry.
The Peja court on Tuesday ordered one month of detention for Jeton Sylaj, the ex-husband of Arlinda Zekaj, the woman killed Sunday evening in Vitomirica near Peja. Sylaj is accused of contempt of court: according to prosecutors, on the day of the killing, at around 5:58 p.m., he threatened her again and threw her clothes into the yard, in breach of an Oct. 16 ruling that barred him from physical and psychological violence against her. The suspect in the killing is the victim's former brother-in-law, Albert Sylaj, who remains on the run and is wanted by police.
Cases move to Pristina
Chief State Prosecutor Zejnulla Gashi decided that three criminal cases linked to the killing be taken from the Peja prosecution office and handed to Pristina's, citing the particular importance of the cases, the grave consequences and the need for objective and impartial handling. His office also began analyzing institutional actions and failures to act, including the risk assessment and measures to protect the victim, and warned of accountability for any negligence.
According to police, Zekaj had reported domestic violence at around 7 p.m. on Sunday, and at around 9:10 p.m., after she had returned home, police were informed she had been killed. KALLXO.com reported that she had also sought help from police on Oct. 22.
Kurti: our justice is crooked
Prime Minister Albin Kurti said at the University Clinical Center of Kosovo that the interior and justice ministries have 54 hours to deliver a report on where each link in the institutional chain failed and on similar cases. “Our justice is not straight, it is crooked,” he said. The head of the Vetëvendosje parliamentary group, Arbërie Nagavci, proposed a parliamentary inquiry committee with 11 members and a six-month mandate.
On Tuesday a protest was held outside the Peja court, while EULEX and the German Embassy in Pristina condemned the killing; the embassy called for the protection of women at risk to be made a priority. Arlinda Zekaj's funeral was scheduled for 3 p.m. Tuesday in Peja.
