Criminal rowing against two northern Macedonian mayors for pending Kurti

Tetovo Mayor Bilal Kasami and Carir's Visar Ganiu have been questioned Tuesday by Macedonian police, which has announced the verdict on criminal charges.

“During the official visit of the Kosovo delegation to northern Macedonia, led by Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, in anticipation of an organised 1108.2023, on the Fererrid Muratiı Street in Skopje and at the town square in Tetovo, has not been acted in accordance with the Law for the use of arms, flags and anthems of the Republic of Northern Macedonia. During the manifestations organised in that case, no state anthems have been sung and the state flag of the Republic of Northern Macedonia has not been deployed, with what has been violated by Article 30 of the same law”, it has been said in Skopje's Interior Ministry announcement.

It has been said in the written communiqué that “Police will continue researching the person who in one of the manifestations waved the flag of the so-called Great Albanian “.

The law on the use of state symbols, Article 30, envisions penalties of 1,000 to 5,000 euros in the event the public person commits violations of the provisions, respectively, unless he uses these symbols in manifestations defined by other legal provisions.

The interrogation has also been confirmed by the heads of two municipalities, which authorities have called the communist “” aimed at “intimidation”.

“Communism here is not dead, he is alive and is keeping our government alive with Ali Ahmeti and Arben] Tavarar. Attempts of this fear and silence like in the time of communism don't scare us at all, even on top of our heads. How much less scare us when these blackmailing attempts to undermine united opposition come from corrupt and blackmailed rulers who are now counting on their fingers. Time for the intimidation of Albanians, their arrests, and taking them to notorious police stations has died”, Tetovo Mayor Bilall Kasami has said through a Facebook post.

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has stayed in these two municipalities inhabited by Albanian populations, at the invitation of Chairman of Ciir Visar Ganiu, and Tetovo's Bilall Kasami.

Kurti has participated in the inauguration of a street named after the event, Adem Demaci in Ciir, while in Tetovo she has participated in the inauguration of a street in Tetovo's Malthia.

During this visit, Kurti and Tetovo's leader have spoken of the need to open a nearly sixkm-long tunnel that would link Tetovo and Prizren.

The position of Prime Minister Kurti in Tetovo and Cair, the use of Albanian iconography during organised manifestations respectively, has prompted numerous reactions, including from Macedonian President Stevo Pendarovski, who has demanded sanctions for organisers of this visit.