A woman is attacked with an axe in Lipjan, Kosovo / The suspected perpetrator is her ex-husband

2025-11-24 13:15:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

A woman is attacked with an axe in Lipjan, Kosovo / The suspected perpetrator is

A woman in the Lower Lipjan/Lipljan Gadime district was attacked with an axe on Monday, November 24, as Kosovo Police said they are searching for the suspect. Local media and the Kosovo Women's Network reported that the suspect is the victim's ex-husband.

"Today, at the Lipjan police station, a case of attempted murder was initiated. Police investigators, in coordination with the Prosecution, have begun investigative and procedural actions, while the injured person [female] has been sent for medical treatment," Flora Ahmeti from the Kosovo Police told Radio Free Europe.

The Kosovo Women's Network expressed concern about the case, saying that the woman "was brutally attacked with an axe by her ex-husband, despite the fact that she had an active protection order against him."

“This case shows once again that the lack of full implementation of protection orders continues to endanger the lives of women in Kosovo, failing to provide them with the protection they are legally entitled to,” said KWN.

This network requested that the court issue a decision to place an electronic monitoring bracelet, issue meritorious sentences and expedite procedures in cases of domestic violence "and not allow tolerance towards perpetrators."

“Violence against women is a crime and must be treated as a national emergency. No woman should live in fear, and no protection order should remain on paper,” said the Kosovo Women’s Network, an organization that provides free legal advice and assistance to all victims of gender-based violence.

Human rights organizations and institutions have frequently raised concerns about violence against women, as Kosovo has seen an increase in domestic violence cases in recent years. According to Kosovo Police data, in 2024 there were 2,959 reported cases of domestic violence, compared to 2,460 cases in 2023.

In the vast majority of cases, the victims are women. From 2010 to March 2025, 59 women were murdered in Kosovo. In most cases, the perpetrators of these crimes were their husbands or ex-husbands.

In September 2020, Kosovo adopted the Istanbul Convention, drafted by the Council of Europe as an instrument that obliges states to combat violence against women and domestic violence.

However, organizations dealing with women's rights have often criticized justice institutions, saying that "light sentences" are "emboldening" the perpetrators of these crimes. /REL