Three years of violence at the Parliament of Northern Macedonia

Today, three years are up since violence occurred in the North Macedonian Assembly, which is remembered as the 24-x0-> bloody Thursday”.

The first year of developments in the Assembly was in expectation of the judicial epilogue against more than 33 people... an amnesty and dozens of perpetrators of parliament in prison. On the second anniversary, there is a part of the participants convicted in the events, while the opinion still awaits the organisers' discovery.

In the country with a large number of Replics and counter-replications exactly at noon begins the twenty-way continuation of the Assembly's constitutional session, in which the day is also the starting point for DUI MP Talat Xhaferi's election to the new head of the Assembly. Outside, 60th protest of the civic initiative “for joint Macedonia” is held in front of the Parliament building, with a demand for a rejection. Tirana “Platform” and holding new parliamentary elections.

At 2: 00 a.m., LSDM leader Zoran Zaev requires respect for the Order and is transferred to the election of Parliament Speaker, stressing that there are new parliamentary majority with 69 MPs.

At 6: 00 a.m., presiding Trajko Veljanovski interrupted the 20th continuation of the Parliament's constitutional session, but MPs remain in the plenary hall, and the new parliamentary majority elected DUI deputy Talat Xhaferi the new head of the Parliament.

At 6:30 p.m. in the media room, MPs prepare for the news conference of Zoran Zaev and Talat Xhaferi, since four months after holding parliamentary elections and after a decade the state became a new majority in power.

As it extends Talat Xhaferi's media conference on monitors, MPs and journalists watch as a crowd of citizens penetrate the police cord's protective fence and reach the doors of the Parliament. As Zaevi speaks, the crowd now enters the Assembly and security closes the doors to the media room.

For more than three hours, police fail to establish control over the situation

About two hours in the media room on the first floor, several deputies, including the then-to-be Prime Minister Zoran Zaev and newly elected chief speaker Talat Xhaferi, are under siege and crackdown by the crowd of citizens. Officially, over 100 people end up in the hospital, while the most critical was MP Ziadin Sela's situation.

General prison sentence of 211 years for 16 accused of “on Thursday bloody”

The case for events in the Assembly on April 27, 2017, began on August 22, 2018, and is one of the largest in Macedonia's newest history. Initially, the process began against a total of 33 people, of whom 31 persons for terrorist endangerment of the constitutional order of the state and two persons for incentives. However, after the adoption of the amnesty Law, 15 persons were granted.

Under the evidence procedure, about 50 witnesses were questioned, as well as a protected witness, in whose testimony the opinion was excluded. As witnesses were questioned by current Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, Minister Damjan Manceski, former Prime Minister Trajko Veljanovski, Bishop Pimen, etc.

In line with the amnesty Law for the events of April 27, 2017, amnesty has nothing to do with organizers, those who have exercised physical violence, who have carried weapons, as well as officials who have exceeded official authorisations.

Positive thoughts regarding amnesty demands took five deputies -- Mukoski, Arnaudov, Vasilevski, Tarculovski and Dimovski, co-organizers of the initiative “for joint Macedonia” Bogdan Ilievski, Vlado Jovanovski and Boris Damovski, employed in the cabinet of the then prime minister, Ivan Cvetanovski and Elena Docevska-Bozhinovska, the Mladenovski brothers, who first revealed details for the organisation of bloody Thursday, and Zahari Simovski, Ilija Slavevski and Mitre Pitropovski from patriotic associations.

The judicial council at the Criminal Court in Skopje, led by Judge Dobrilla Kacarska on 15 March, was pronounced a 211-year prison sentence of 16 accused of violence in the Assembly on April 27th 2017, while Igor Durllovski released him from the indictment.

Mitko Cavkov received the highest sentence of 18 years, Mitko Peshitov 15 years, Dusko Lizrov 15 years, Goran Djoschevski justly 15 years, Oliver Popovski 13 years, Oliver Radulov 10 years, Munir Pepiqre -- 15 years, Abdulfeta Aljavetıvov seven years, Mladen Dodevski) 12 years, Jane Ceto15 years, Goran Angelovski 12 years, Igor Jugov 12 years 12, Vladko Trajkovski 15 years, Vilja Mihajlovski 14 years, Nikolo Mitrovski, and Aleksando Colongevski eight years.

Reformers in Prison, Freedom Organisers

The Public Foundation Prosecutor for Prosecution of Organised Crime and Corruption through the statement in February of this year informs that under investigation there are five people suspected to be organising events on April 27th.

They are charged with committing criminal acts “terrorist endangerment of constitutional order and security”.

From the PTHP they inform that pre-investigative data has revealed that suspects at the beginning of 2017 have prepared and carried out plans in order to prevent the smooth surrender of power. To that end, they have organised and materially supported mass protests, initially before the State Election Commission, and then the protests of the movement “for joint Macedonia”, which culminated in the violent entry into the Assembly on April 27th.

The suspects as organisers have included the entire party structure and materials for achieving the goal and have enabled continued reductions in the number of police officials in the security of the protests. In order to violate constitutional order and security, the critical day has organised unhindered entry of protesters into the representative room, included patriotic associations and committed persons to the exercise of violence. Once since the political party headquarters has consistently mobilised party membership from Skopje and other cities. At the same time, one of the car suspects owned by the Directorate for Security and Counter-intelligence has brought weapons and bulletproof vests before the Republic of Macedonia's Assembly, which have been dedicated to persons protesting and having experience in using weapons. With these activities the suspects have caused the sense of uncertainty, risk and fear of citizens, they are informed by the PTHP.