Skopje, North Macedonia – Four former officials of the ruling party VMRO-DPMNE were released by a court on Thursday after being convicted of organizing a violent attack on the Parliament in 2017. Trajko Veljanovksi, Spiro Ristovski, Mile Janakieski, and Vladimir Atanasovski, who held prominent positions within the party, had received sentences ranging from six to six-and-a-half years for their involvement in endangering the constitutional order and security. The court justified their release under the 2018 amnesty law specifically related to their case.
The amnesty law, enacted in December of 2018, aimed to provide general amnesty to certain participants in the 2017 attacks on Parliament, with exceptions clearly outlined in the legislation. Individuals suspected of planning or organizing the violent events, using physical force, possessing unauthorized weapons or explosives, acting under false identities, or abusing their official powers in committing acts of terrorism against the constitutional order were not covered by the amnesty. This legal framework played a significant role in the release of the former VMRO-DPMNE officials.
The passing of the amnesty law in 2018 stirred political controversy, with accusations leveled against the then-Prime Minister Zoran Zaev from LSDM of compromising the rule of law in exchange for opposition votes from VMRO-DPMNE to advance agreements with Greece, particularly concerning the name issue. The political landscape at the time was tumultuous, following the resignation and escape of former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, the subsequent rise of Zoran Zaev as Prime Minister, and the historic election of Talat Xhaferri as the first ethnic Albanian Speaker of the Parliament.
The 2017 attack on Parliament was a culmination of a prolonged political crisis in North Macedonia, leading to widespread unrest and violent protests. The appointment of Xhaferri as Speaker triggered intense reactions, resulting in the storming of the Parliament by enraged demonstrators. The violent altercation left numerous individuals injured, with Zijadin Sela, leader of a prominent ethnic Albanian party, among those targeted in one of the most severe attacks during the tumultuous period. This incident underscored the deep political divisions and tensions present in North Macedonia at that time.