Civil society activists in Prishtina protested on Monday against the sexist language of Prishtina University lecturer Ardian Kastrati, also member of parliament for the opposition Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK).
Following the election of President Vjosa Osmani by Parliament, Kastrati posted a quote by an Albanian writer of early 20th century describing a woman’s body in denigrating terms.
It didn’t mention Osmani’s name but it was widely seen as an insult directed to the newly elected President.
Kastrati later deleted the post, claiming it was not meant for Osmani, that he didn’t even watch her election on TV, and that he was courageous enough to name his political opponents.
Protesters requested the dismissal of Kastrati from the University of Prishtina.
“This language which produces hate speech, is one of the main causes of women’s subjugation, violence and murder,” one of the protesters, Liridona Sijarina said.
“When this is done by public figures, and even more so by university people, this is intolerable and should be punished,” she added.
Minister of Justice Minister Albulena Haxhiu said it was “low level language which should be strongly condemned and opposed.”
The Assembly elected Vjosa Osmani President of Kosovo on Sunday.
The PDK, Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) and Srpska Lista (The Serb List) boycotted the voting.
