On Friday, the Kosovo police arrested V.A. a 36 year old man as the main suspect for murdering his ex wife and wounding her brother at the Social Welfare Center in Ferizaj.

As a result of shooting “inside the Social Welfare Center, on the first floor, in the direction of two people, 21 year old E.C. (F/K) died on the scene… and 15 year old D.C (M/K) suffered bodily injuries,” the Kosovo police announced on Friday, adding that the suspect was arrested at 15:15.

The acting director of the Ferizaj hospital, Fikret Arifi, told BIRN that the life of the wounded brother is not longer in danger.

“The bullet is gone, his hand is mobilized. It is being planned to send him to the Department of Orthopedics in Ferizaj,” Arifi said, explaining that the woman had died on the spot and was not sent to the hospital.

Kosovo’s Minister of Justice, Albulena Haxhiu, took to Facebook to condemn the murder.

“Despite our daily efforts and our continuous engagement, women are still not safe,” Haxhiu said.

“This is another crime which should be given the maximum punishment,” she added.

In late August 2023, a report by Amnesty International concluded that, despite widespread protests and demands for Kosovo authorities to take action against domestic violence, Kosovoćs authorities continue to fail to protect victims of domestic violence.

There were a series of protests in Kosovo in 2021 against sexual and domestic violence and femicide, which continued in 2022.

In May 2023, BIRN reported that a lack of financial independence and support from family and society means many women in Kosovo who try to flee domestic violence end up returning to their abusive husbands.

There are seven safe houses in Kosovo, but with reported cases of domestic abuse on the rise, there is a need for additional support.. The vast majority of victims are women, and not all cases end in court.

Human rights activists consistently request maximum sentences in femicide cases.