In February 2024, the Kosovo Assembly’s human rights committee and various civil society organizations met in Prishtina to discuss what was termed “The Current Situation in the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights in Kosovo.” The meeting took a dark turn when committee member Labinotë Demi-Murtezi made incendiary remarks against the LGBTQ+ community, saying that sexual relations between people of the same sex cause serious diseases. Her words compromised the event’s purpose and exposed a troubling lack of accountability for bigoted statements.

It is alarming to once again encounter homophobia from a member of the assembly’s human rights committee. Demi-Murtezi’s homophobic slurs are obscene, infuriating and part of a larger campaign of dehumanization and denial. To remain silent in the face of such hostility is to betray fundamental principles of upholding and defending human rights. 

Pushing back against this silence, 57 human rights advocates and civil society groups wrote an open letter to Assembly Speaker Glauk Konjufca two weeks after the committee meeting. The letter powerfully condemns Demi-Murtezi’s demeaning remarks, and demands that she and committee chair Duda Balje be removed from the committee.

Deputies focused on human rights like Demi-Murtezi are entrusted with protecting and promoting fundamental rights. Their responsibilities include upholding national and international laws, monitoring human rights conditions, investigating abuses, raising public awareness, advocating for policy reforms to address systemic injustices and supporting those whose rights have been violated. 

Demi-Murtezi’s conduct gravely undermines the legitimacy of her and her colleagues’ work.

Unethical behavior

Demi-Murtezi, who first became a deputy in 2014 as a member of the Justice Party and returned to the assembly with Vetëvendosje (VV) in 2019, has long been known for her inflammatory rhetoric and deep-seated homophobia. In 2022, the Kosovo Assembly gave her the floor during a parliamentary session on family law, which included discussions on same-sex unions. She took the opportunity to launch an offensive language-filled tirade against LGBTQ+ people. 

Nevertheless, Konjufca, the assembly speaker and Demi-Murtezi’s fellow VV member, neither sanctioned nor reprimanded her for these remarks or for repeating them in the February 2024 meeting. His silence is equally troubling, and reflects his prioritization of preserving VV’s parliamentary majority over condemning discriminatory behavior.

It doesn’t take an ethics expert to find Demi-Murtezi’s conduct indefensible and its moral implications impossible to ignore. Her claim that LGBTQ+ persons transmit diseases is factually unfounded, exposing a profound lack of ethical integrity and outrageous bias that prioritizes prejudice over fairness and justice. 

Our elected officials are entrusted to lead with empathy and understanding, especially when engaging with marginalized communities. Unfortunately, some seem to operate by an entirely different, more dangerous standard, one that favors dishonesty and cruelty and spreads falsehoods. This seems to be the case with Demi-Murtezi. By framing LGBTQ+ individuals in a baseless, conspiratorial narrative, she promotes discourse devoid of any ideological coherence and erodes the ethical obligations that should guide public leadership on human rights.

Countering her misinformation is essential for fostering informed civic dialogue. Without such efforts, Demi-Murtezi will continue to wield substantial influence, perpetuating harmful and unethical homophobic narratives. Moreover, it is imperative that government institutions ensure elected officials are placed in roles that align with their expertise, fostering the impartial judgment necessary for effective governance. Committees, particularly the human rights committee, play a pivotal role in shaping the just society all Kosovars deserve. But with Demi-Murtezi on the human rights committee, it is clear the government has failed, placing an unsuitable figure in a critical position.

Our trust in public officials, like Demi-Murtezi and Konjufca, is eroded when they neglect their ethical responsibilities. This erosion further undermines public confidence in government institutions, which are already struggling with poor approval ratings.

Justice will prevail 

Demi-Murtezi speaks as if compelled by some higher power or duty to publicly voice her personal views on LGBTQ+ people. Her audience listens, and if this continues, her influence could hinder efforts to protect the queer community, or even expose it to further violence. Her homophobic rhetoric does more than perpetuate harmful stereotypes; it actively contributes to the marginalization and vilification of LGBTQ+ individuals, reinforcing negative portrayals in society. 

Derogatory remarks in the Kosovo Assembly distort public perception of homosexuality and reinforce harmful stereotypes that further alienate LGBTQ+ people. The average Kosovar, exposed to such false accusations, may develop greater animosity toward LGBTQ+ people, worsening an already fraught situation. What’s truly appalling, however, is Demi-Murtezi’s apparent indifference to her words’ accuracy or the harm they might cause. As one of my friends said, “She seems to revel in the spotlight while expressing degrading and repulsive sentiments.”

While grand political aspirations to fight corruption and the like are unquestionably admirable, it is equally important to confront hate-driven words and actions when they occur on the political stage. Using discriminatory language against a marginalized community to score political points is deplorable. Demi-Murtezi’s assault on a marginalized community is particularly egregious, given that her position is funded by public resources — taxpayers’ money. It reminds us of the vigilance required in our individual and collective electoral choices.

Allowing her to defame a marginalized community without accountability threatens the principles of fairness and justice that, at least on paper, form the backbone of our legal system. Yet no direct provisions exist to remove Demi-Murtezi from the human rights committee solely for her repeated slurs. 

In March 2024, five civil society groups filed a lawsuit against her, and the assembly as a whole, accusing her of violating the dignity of LGBTQ+ individuals by directly degrading them and targeting them with discriminatory remarks. This is welcome. Holding elected officials accountable for their words and actions is essential in combating disinformation and building a just society. 

Homophobia for electoral gain

Politicians like Demi-Murtezi weaponize LGBTQ+ identities for electoral purposes, compromising queer individuals’ safety to satisfy their constituents. These actions push many into precarious — and at times, dangerous — circumstances. Condemning her actions isn’t just an expression of outrage — it is a public duty, non-negotiable for me as a gay man. 

Whether Demi-Murtezi’s comments are rooted in religious convictions, outdated medical knowledge from her schooling, or a calculated bid to secure reelection, they reveal a troubling political strategy. Over the years, she has shown a willingness to do whatever it takes to advance her career, from switching parties to orchestrating media spectacles. Her attacks on LGBTQ+ people are a key part of a strategy to appeal to voters who cling to rigid, conservative religious values, an approach that wins her approval from those who share her discriminatory views. 

A politician’s choice of antagonist is never accidental. In Demi-Murtezi’s case, it is a cunning exploitation of societal vulnerabilities. By scapegoating LGBTQ+ people as enemies of the so-called traditional family, she taps into ingrained prejudices surrounding gender identity, sexual orientation and the very concept of equality. For her, the heteronormative family — an institution portrayed as the cornerstone of patriarchal family values — risks being replaced by what she deems “degenerative” queer families. It is portrayed as defenseless against the force of social change. 

As one of my colleagues observed, “It’s ironic that, just a generation ago, someone like Demi-Murtezi — because of her gender or ethnicity — might have been barred from politics. Now, with power in hand, she wields it against society’s most vulnerable.” Such irony makes one wonder: Does Demi-Murtezi grasp the profound responsibility her role entails? Why does she not extend more compassion and solidarity for people in marginalized groups? 

Enough is enough

Discrimination — of any kind — has no place in a just society. When it targets sexual orientation or gender identity, it rarely operates in isolation; rather, it intersects with other forms of oppression — racism, sexism, classism, patriarchy — compounding the marginalization of those belonging to multiple marginalized groups. Addressing these layered injustices necessitates dismantling the structures that sustain them.

The Kosovo Assembly’s human rights committee must be free from homophobia. It cannot harbor people whose views contradict fundamental principles of equality and democratic values. If the goal is to foster a society where everyone, without exception, is free to belong, there is no place for homophobic deputies like Demi-Murtezi.

Demi-Murtezi should recognize that the homophobia she perpetuates is pervasive in Kosovo. A stroll down any street reveals a telling silence: public displays of affection among LGBTQ+ people are virtually nonexistent, reflecting an atmosphere thick with intolerance and discrimination. Although progress has been made, it remains fragile. Fear of backlash deters many from expressing their love openly.

For many LGBTQ+ people, this is the choice: confront hostile officials and public prejudice head-on or seek refuge in countries where acceptance offers a chance to thrive. While Demi-Murtezi may prefer that we select the latter, I reject that option. Conceding to her vision is not on the table.

Navigating this fight-or-flight response shapes competing narratives. LGBTQ+ individuals have the right to live freely — to walk the streets, love openly and exist without fear of harassment or violence. Failing to address Demi-Murtezi’s homophobic rhetoric poses a risk far greater than we might imagine. Ignoring her fosters an environment of suspicion and hostility toward LGBTQ+ people. 

Therefore, confronting Demi-Murtezi is essential to shifting the conversation toward justice. Despite the weight of the struggle, hope endures. Standing firm against homophobic assembly members like Demi-Murtezi is a fundamental step toward building a more inclusive society.

Feature Image: Majlinda Hoxha / K2.0

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