Skopje, North Macedonia – Four prominent figures from North Macedonia’s former ruling party, VMRO-DPMNE, were released by a court on Thursday despite their convictions related to a violent assault on the parliament in 2017. Trajko Veljanovski, the ex-parliamentary speaker, alongside Spiro Ristovski and Mile Janakieski, both ex-cabinet ministers, and Vladimir Atanasovski, the former head of national security, had initially received prison terms ranging from six to six-and-a-half years for charges that included endangering the nation’s constitutional order and security.
The decision for their early release was influenced by a 2018 amnesty law, which was specifically designed to mitigate actions during a period of intense political turmoil. This law generally extends amnesty to some participants involved in the parliament attacks, yet it excludes those responsible for orchestrating or leading the unrest, those who employed physical force or weapons, those who masked their identities, or those who exploited their official capacities to commit acts deemed as terrorist against the state’s constitutional integrity.
The controversial amnesty law was adopted in December 2018 and soon became a point of contention. Critics argue it was instrumentalized by then-Prime Minister Zoran Zaev of the LSDM (Social Democratic Union of Macedonia) as a political maneuver to secure opposition support from VMRO-DPMNE for the agreement with Greece resolving the long-standing dispute over the country’s name.
The 2017 parliament attack itself was a flashpoint in what had been a turbulent two years of political crisis in North Macedonia. The crisis featured the departure and subsequent flight of former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, followed by the rise of Zoran Zaev and the historic election of Talat Xhaferri, the parliament’s first ethnic Albanian speaker. Xhaferri’s election lit the fuse that led to the parliament being stormed by hundreds of incensed protesters, resulting in numerous injuries. Among the most critically injured was Zijadin Sela, a leader of one of the prominent ethnic Albanian parties at that time.
During the melee, which was broadcast live and shocked viewers across the nation and abroad, demonstrators breached parliamentary security, violently confronting lawmakers and journalists in scenes that underscored the deep ethnic and political divisions within the country.
The legal proceedings and subsequent release of these former officials raise significant questions about justice and reconciliation in North Macedonia. While the amnesty endeavored to turn a page on a dark chapter, for many it has deepened concerns about impunity and the stability of democratic institutions in the fledgling Balkan state.
Moreover, the broader context of these events comes amidst North Macedonia’s continued efforts to integrate into Western political and economic structures, including its recent NATO membership and ongoing talks for accession to the European Union. How the country addresses its recent turbulent past remains crucial to its future trajectory on the international stage.
Thus, as the court’s decision reverberates through the political landscape of North Macedonia, it not only highlights ongoing legal and political challenges but also the delicate balancing act of justice, memory, and political expediency in a nation still navigating its path through complex historical grievances and geopolitical realignments.