25 years in prison for violence organization in the Assembly of North Macedonia

Protesters entering at the Assembly of Macedonia, April 27, 2017

 The Criminal Court of Skopje sentenced the organizers of the violence in the Assembly of North Macedonia on April 27, 2017, to 25 years in prison.

Former Parliament Speaker Trajko Veljanovski was sentenced by the court to 6.6 years in prison, former ministers Mile Janakievski and Spiro Ristovski were sentenced to six years and three months in prison each, while the former director of the secret police was sentenced to six years in prison. Vladimir Atanasovski.

For the fugitive former prime minister, Nikola Gruevski, and police officer Nikola Boskovski, the proceedings were suspended until will be catched and brought to justice.

The convicts were found guilty of the criminal offense of "terrorist endangerment of constitutional order and security", based on Article 313 of the Criminal Code.

Judge Ilija Trpkov said that the court proceedings, based on the facts presented by more than 100 witnesses, found these persons guilty of what had happened in the assembly on April 27, 2017, when a large crowd of people had forcibly entered the legislative institution to prevent the election of the new speaker of the assembly, Talat Xhaferi.