Tragedy at Kocan discotheque, 23 Others Arrested

Northern Macedonia police have arrested 23 other people today, allegedly involved in the illegal operation of a nightclub in the town of Kocan, in which fire broke out in the early hours of 16 March, killing 61 people, most of them young and injuring about 200 others.

In the preliminary period, Northern Macedonia police had arrested 33 persons who are temporarily detained. Among those arrested today are three former economy ministers and current and former Civil Defence Directorate leaders. He is currently minister without portfolio, responsible for the integration and implementation of the Roma Inclusion Strategy 2022-2030.

The detainees have been brought before investigative judges in Kocan, who will decide whether to stop or not temporarily. All the country's economy ministers were arrested except the current one.
The three former economy ministers arrested today come from the ranks of the largest and most prominent Albanian opposition DUI in northern Macedonia, led by Ali Ahmeti.

Another former state economy minister, who was arrested in the first days following the tragic event in Kocan, comes from the ranks of the party. In essence, all economy ministers were arrested in the country since 2012, when the nightclub worked, but not the current one, which took office in June 2024 and comes from the ranks of the Albanian coalition co-government “VLEN”

The economy ministry issues operating license for the functioning of health stores. The Pulse Club in Kotsani where the fire has fallen functioned with forged permission, but with a literal seal from the Ministry of Economy. Ali Ahmeti's party, commenting on the arrests of its members, spoke of an unprecedented attack on Albanians in Northern Macedonia, blaming the country's prime minister, Hristian Mickoski and Interior Minister for the incident, in order to, as the party declared, give up their responsibilities for the incident of nightclubs and marginalisation of Albanians in the country.

DUI added that it will take all necessary measures to prevent the continuation of this attack on Albanians and ensure justice for the Albanian people in the country. Ali Ahmeti's party has participated in all of the country's coalition governments over the past 20 years. In the last parliamentary elections held in northern Macedonia in May 2024, the V coalition LEN won 14 seats, while the coalition under Ali Ahmeti's DUI secured 18 seats.

However, country prime minister and right party leader V MRO- DPMNE, Khristian Mickoski, elected V coalition LEN as his partner in the government by the Albanian political bloc, claiming that DUI, which had participated in the country's coalition governments for the previous 20 years, had become a “regim<x1 wide-scale corrupt in the country. /Periscopi/