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Outcry Over Ethnically Charged Death Case In Macedonia
Several thousand people have*demonstrated in Macedonia’s capital*to protest against a prosecutor’s decision to reduce the charges against an ethnic Macedonian man who slammed his car into a four-year old ethnic Albanian child in 2016.
The protest took place outside the government building in Skopje on March 21, after the country’s justice minister resigned amid a public outcry over the ethnically-charged case.
Almir Aliu died of his injuries shortly after being hit by a car in the ethnically mixed northern town of Kumanovo in June 2016, allegedly following an argument between his father and the car's driver.
During the ongoing trial in which members of both families are being prosecuted for their alleged roles in the brawl, the Aliu family claimed that the death of the boy was a case of premeditated murder.
The car's driver, Boban Ilic, insisted that he was the one being attacked and claimed he hit the child while trying to escape.
Earlier this month, the prosecutor reduced the charges against him from "deliberate murder" to "serious traffic offense."
The murder charge carries a maximum life sentence, while the traffic offense charge carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years.
Outraged by the decision, several thousand protesters, mainly ethnic Albanians, gathered outside the government building to call for the resignations of the prosecutor and the judge involved in the case.
The demonstrators chanted slogans such as "No justice, no peace." One of the banners read "Little Almir does not rest in peace."
The rally comes after Bilen Saliji, the justice minister, said late on March 20 that he was resigning due to deteriorating public trust in the judiciary.
Saliji comes from the ranks of the government's junior coalition partner, the ethnic Albanian Democratic Union for Integration (DUI).
The European Union, which Macedonia hopes to join, has urged Skopje to reform its judicial system, which is believed to be controlled by the country's political elites, with corruption scandals and nepotism.
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Macedonia Minister Quits Amid Child’s Death Case Protests
The prosecution’s decision to reduce the charges against the alleged killer of a four-year-old ethnic Albanian child sparked protests and the resignation of the Justice Minister.
About 1,000 people, mostly ethnic Albanians, protested on Wednesday in front of the Macedonian government building in Skopje, outraged by the prosecution’s last minute decision to drop charges of premeditated murder against an ethnic Macedonian who slammed his car into a four-year old ethnic Albanian child in 2016.
Boban Ilic killed four-year old Almir Aliu in the*ethnically charged incident in July 2016*at the general hospital in the ethnically mixed town of Kumanovo.
Protesters in Skopje chanted “No Justice, No Peace” and “Justice for Almir”, and carried banners that showed a middle finger to the government and the judiciary.
On Tuesday evening, Macedonia’s Justice Minister Bilen Saliji resigned over the controversial decision by the prosecution.
Saliji, who comes from the ranks of the ethnic Albanian junior ruling party, the Democratic Union for Integration, DUI, said that was resigning for moral reasons.
“The judiciary is independent and should stay that way, but I, as head of the Justice Ministry, feel a moral responsibility to resign because of the shaken trust [in the judiciary],” Saliji said.
The incident erupted at the Kumanovo general hospital when, according to the prosecution, two families, one Albanian and one Macedonian, started to brawl amid an argument over who should see the doctor first.
The brawl, which according to the prosecution continued in the hospital yard, ended with the death of four-year-old Almir Aliu.
In hospital video footage released in July 2016, Ilic’s car was seen slamming into the boy and his parents, who were also injured.
The prosecution initially charged Ilic with the premeditated murder of the child but at the last hearing at the Kumanovo court on March 15, it changed its mind and called for milder charges of “endangering property and people’s safety in traffic”.
This prompted harsh public criticism and renewed protests by ethnic Albanians who suspected an ethnically motivated decision.
During the ongoing trial in which members of both families being prosecuted for their alleged roles in starting the brawl, the Aliu family claimed that the death of their child was a clear case of premeditated murder.
But Ilic’s defence insisted that he was the one being attacked and that he slammed into the family in panic while trying to escape.
In May 2015, the town of Kumanovo where the incident took place, was*the scene of a bloody shootout*between Albanian militants and police that left 18 people dead, raising ethnic tensions in Macedonia.
Kumanovo was also badly affected by the 2001 armed conflict between Macedonian security forces and ethnic Albanian insurgents, when it was close to the front line in the fighting.
Several thousand people have*demonstrated in Macedonia’s capital*to protest against a prosecutor’s decision to reduce the charges against an ethnic Macedonian man who slammed his car into a four-year old ethnic Albanian child in 2016.
The protest took place outside the government building in Skopje on March 21, after the country’s justice minister resigned amid a public outcry over the ethnically-charged case.
Almir Aliu died of his injuries shortly after being hit by a car in the ethnically mixed northern town of Kumanovo in June 2016, allegedly following an argument between his father and the car's driver.
During the ongoing trial in which members of both families are being prosecuted for their alleged roles in the brawl, the Aliu family claimed that the death of the boy was a case of premeditated murder.
The car's driver, Boban Ilic, insisted that he was the one being attacked and claimed he hit the child while trying to escape.
Earlier this month, the prosecutor reduced the charges against him from "deliberate murder" to "serious traffic offense."
The murder charge carries a maximum life sentence, while the traffic offense charge carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years.
Outraged by the decision, several thousand protesters, mainly ethnic Albanians, gathered outside the government building to call for the resignations of the prosecutor and the judge involved in the case.
The demonstrators chanted slogans such as "No justice, no peace." One of the banners read "Little Almir does not rest in peace."
The rally comes after Bilen Saliji, the justice minister, said late on March 20 that he was resigning due to deteriorating public trust in the judiciary.
Saliji comes from the ranks of the government's junior coalition partner, the ethnic Albanian Democratic Union for Integration (DUI).
The European Union, which Macedonia hopes to join, has urged Skopje to reform its judicial system, which is believed to be controlled by the country's political elites, with corruption scandals and nepotism.
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Macedonia Minister Quits Amid Child’s Death Case Protests
The prosecution’s decision to reduce the charges against the alleged killer of a four-year-old ethnic Albanian child sparked protests and the resignation of the Justice Minister.
About 1,000 people, mostly ethnic Albanians, protested on Wednesday in front of the Macedonian government building in Skopje, outraged by the prosecution’s last minute decision to drop charges of premeditated murder against an ethnic Macedonian who slammed his car into a four-year old ethnic Albanian child in 2016.
Boban Ilic killed four-year old Almir Aliu in the*ethnically charged incident in July 2016*at the general hospital in the ethnically mixed town of Kumanovo.
Protesters in Skopje chanted “No Justice, No Peace” and “Justice for Almir”, and carried banners that showed a middle finger to the government and the judiciary.
On Tuesday evening, Macedonia’s Justice Minister Bilen Saliji resigned over the controversial decision by the prosecution.
Saliji, who comes from the ranks of the ethnic Albanian junior ruling party, the Democratic Union for Integration, DUI, said that was resigning for moral reasons.
“The judiciary is independent and should stay that way, but I, as head of the Justice Ministry, feel a moral responsibility to resign because of the shaken trust [in the judiciary],” Saliji said.
The incident erupted at the Kumanovo general hospital when, according to the prosecution, two families, one Albanian and one Macedonian, started to brawl amid an argument over who should see the doctor first.
The brawl, which according to the prosecution continued in the hospital yard, ended with the death of four-year-old Almir Aliu.
In hospital video footage released in July 2016, Ilic’s car was seen slamming into the boy and his parents, who were also injured.
The prosecution initially charged Ilic with the premeditated murder of the child but at the last hearing at the Kumanovo court on March 15, it changed its mind and called for milder charges of “endangering property and people’s safety in traffic”.
This prompted harsh public criticism and renewed protests by ethnic Albanians who suspected an ethnically motivated decision.
During the ongoing trial in which members of both families being prosecuted for their alleged roles in starting the brawl, the Aliu family claimed that the death of their child was a clear case of premeditated murder.
But Ilic’s defence insisted that he was the one being attacked and that he slammed into the family in panic while trying to escape.
In May 2015, the town of Kumanovo where the incident took place, was*the scene of a bloody shootout*between Albanian militants and police that left 18 people dead, raising ethnic tensions in Macedonia.
Kumanovo was also badly affected by the 2001 armed conflict between Macedonian security forces and ethnic Albanian insurgents, when it was close to the front line in the fighting.
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