North Macedonia Court Releases Former Officials Convicted in 2017 Parliament Attack Under Amnesty Law

Skopje, North Macedonia – In a significant legal decision, four former officials from North Macedonia’s conservative VMRO-DPMNE party were released by a court on Thursday, after previously being convicted for their roles in orchestrating a violent assault on the country’s Parliament in 2017. This incident had marked a peak in the nation’s prolonged political turmoil.

The individuals released include Trajko Veljanovski, former speaker of Parliament; Spiro Ristovski and Mile Janakieski, both of whom served as cabinet ministers; and Vladimir Atanasovski, who was the head of national security at the time of the incident. They were initially sentenced to between six and six-and-a-half years in prison for charges related to endangering the constitutional order and security.

The court’s decision to release the former officials was underpinned by a 2018 amnesty law, designed to mitigate the long-standing political tensions. This law provides general amnesty to many involved in the 2017 parliament attacks, though it explicitly excludes those accused of planning or organizing the violence, as well as those who used physical force or weapons.

The 2017 Parliament attack itself was a culmination of a deep-seated political crisis that began two years earlier with the controversial and secretive departure of then-Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski. The political landscape shifted significantly following his departure, leading to the electoral victory of Zoran Zaev from the social-democratic LSDM party and the historic election of Talat Xhaferri, the first ethnic Albanian to become Speaker of the Parliament.

The decision to elect Xhaferri had ignited fierce reactions, culminating in the storming of the Parliament by hundreds of protesters. These demonstrators, vehemently opposed to Xhaferri’s election, inflicted dozens of injuries during the chaos, most notably on Zijadin Sela, a prominent leader of one of the main ethnic Albanian parties at the time.

While the release of these former officials might hint at a potential easing of internal political tensions, it also raises questions about the delicate balance between justice and political conciliation in North Macedonia. The 2018 amnesty law, though intended as a bridge to political reconciliation, has been scrutinized for possibly undermining the rule of law in exchange for political convenience.

Zoran Zaev, who was prime minister at the time the amnesty law was passed, faced accusations of compromising legal integrity for political gains, particularly to secure opposition support necessary for the approval of the agreement with Greece concerning the country’s official name.

This agreement was a pivotal element of Zaev’s administration, addressing a longstanding dispute with Greece, which culminated in the country’s official renaming from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to North Macedonia.

As North Macedonia continues to navigate the complexities of its political environment, the release of these key figures from VMRO-DPMNE underlines the ongoing challenges in reconciling a troubled past with the imperatives of democratic stability and European integration aspirations.