Thousands Protest Against Femicide That has Shaken Albania

Thousands of activists and citizens joined protests on Wednesday in Tirana and Fier over the murder on September 10 of a young woman by her ex-husband - and over official failures to prevent violence against women more generally in Albania.

In Tirana, protesters marched from the Ministry of Interior to the Ministry of Justice where they lit candles and demanded "Justice for Sabrina" and a deeper investigation of the murder that shook the country.

"The murder of women and girls is a pandemic, so where are the vaccines ?", read banners, along with: "Responsible for Sabrina's murder", and "Report violence and ask for help".

"Institutional mechanisms have failed as long as they are unable to protect people's lives, in this case Sabrina, girls and other women. The school system, the entire justice system and the social protection system have failed. We are talking about cases that could have been prevented," Ines Leskaj, head of the Albanian Women's Empowerment Network, told BIRN.

Elton Metaj killed his ex-wife Sabrina Bengaj in the village of Zhupan, in the family home of her father shortly after being released from prison.

He arrived at the family house and, after taking her out of the house, shot her with an automatic weapon. After the murder he fled but was found by police after a three-hour search.

The murder of 23-year-old was a "forewarned crime", civil society activists claim.

A year ago, Metaj had held her and her family hostage for almost five hours and it took Special Police intervention for him to surrender and release the family. From then on, he was behind bars until July this year, when he was released on mental health grounds.

Media reports say he had threatened his ex-wife from prison, warning...

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