Olimpia Smajlaj has publicly alleged that her appeal for justice for Arlinda Zekaj was removed from videos of her performance at RTK’s “Akordet e Kosovës” festival.
In an Instagram statement published on 10 November 2026, the singer says the video was taken down and reposted without her dedication. She says the message was also missing from the YouTube version. Smajlaj describes the edit as censorship and says festival officials had admonished her after the performance.
She had ended the song with the appeal “Justice for Arlinda, stop femicide”. In her statement, she explains that “Amanet” was conceived as a tribute to Albanian women and defends an artist’s right to address social issues on stage.
Arlinda Zekaj was killed on 25 October 2026 in Vitomiricë, near Peja, after seeking protection from the authorities over domestic violence and threats. According to prosecutors, her brother-in-law is suspected of the killing.
The performance and the festival context
“Akordet e Kosovës”, the fourth edition of RTK’s song festival, opened on 30 October 2026 at Prishtina’s “1 Tetori” hall. Olimpia competed with “Amanet” and received the best lyrics award at the awards ceremony on 31 October.
The opening night also featured a collective performance of “Heal the World”, during which the participants called for justice for Arlinda Zekaj. That moment forms part of the festival’s wider context; the singer’s allegation specifically concerns uploads of her individual performance.
As of 11 November 2026, no RTK response to this allegation was identified in the public sources reviewed. The account of the alleged removal and its circumstances is the artist’s position.
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