Kosovo
Man Suspected of Killing Pregnant Wife in Kosovo
A 26-year-old man is suspected of murdering his pregnant 25-year-old wife in Kosovo. The suspect is in critical condition after also sustaining gunshot wounds.
A 25-year-old pregnant woman died of gunshot wounds in Kosovo after allegedly being shot by her husband in the village of Kërvasari in the municipality of Malisheva in central Kosovo. The 26-year old husband is in critical condition after also sustaining gunshot wounds.
Vlera Krasniqi, spokesperson for the Kosovo Police in the Gjakova region, told BIRN that after gunshots were reported to the police around 23:20, on Sunday, “police units immediately arrived at the scene, where two people—a married couple—were found in a bedroom, wounded by gunfire.”
The Basic Prosecution of Gjakove stated on Monday, that the woman suffered gunshot wounds and was taken to the University Clinical Centre of Kosovo, UCCK, in the capital Prishtina, where she later died.
According to the Emergency Clinic, the woman was 34 weeks pregnant.
Her husband was also transported to UCCK for treatment and remains in critical condition. The director of the Emergency Clinic, Naser Syla, said the woman died despite the best efforts of the medical staff.
“The 34-week pregnant woman, despite all resuscitation measures undertaken by the medical team, could not survive her injuries and died at the Emergency Centre,” Syla told BIRN.
On the prosecutor’s orders, the victim’s body was sent to the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Prishtina for an autopsy.
The case has been initiated as “suspected aggravated murder and unauthorised possession, control or ownership of a weapon.”
Acting Kosovo President, Albulena Haxhiu, described the killing as shocking.
“Our society cannot be safe as long as women are not even safe in their own homes. Neither family nor marriage can be used to conceal or justify violence. When a woman’s life is at risk, this is no longer a private matter. It is an issue that concerns us all, and one to which institutions must respond to without delay,” she wrote on Facebook.
The Kosovo Women’s Network, KWN, reacted to the incident, saying that every woman’s death in violent circumstances should serve as a serious warning to institutions and society.
The organisation called for a “full, independent and swift investigation” to establish all the circumstances of the case and ensure legal accountability.
“We call on institutions to take all necessary measures to fully clarify the case, guarantee justice and prevent such cases in the future. Any institutional negligence can have fatal consequences,” KWN said in a statement.
