Despite the changes in the Criminal Code of Kosovo and the amending of the Istanbul Convention into the Constitution, murder and violence against women still are not receiving the punishment they deserve from our justice institutions.

On February 3, 2021, the Basic Court of Prizren sentenced Ilir Haxhiaj to 15 years in prison for beating and killing his wife, Hatije Dina. He was convicted with criminal offence of “serious bodily injury”.

To oppose this decision, and to ‘remind’ the Basic Court of Prizren that this “bodily injury” took the life of Hatije Dina, dozens of activists protested today starting at 12:00, in front of the Basic Court of Prizren. The protest was organized by Collective for Feminist Thought and Action.

Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) supports this protest and denounces the lenient sentencing of Ilir Haxhiaj for the criminal offence “Serious Bodily Injury” as contradictory to the country’s legal framework.

We expect the voice of these activists, who protested today, to reach the Court of Appeals, so that it can declare this sentence, issued by the Basic Court in Prizren, as invalid.

Through this press release, KWN also announces that it will closely monitor the further course of this case.

Justice for murdered women! Justice for every woman murdered!