Albanian League calls for an end to police violence against Albanians in Skopje and for criminal and political accountability

The Albanian League has reacted to alleged violence by police officers against young Albanians in Skopje, stressing that, according to its information, this is neither an isolated case nor the first incident of its kind.

According to the Albanian League, the conduct of the police officers constitutes repression by the state apparatus against Albanians and resembles the period of Gruevski, when innocent Albanians in Skopje faced violence from the police and Macedonian hooligans.

The Albanian League maintains that the matter should not be closed with investigations or disciplinary measures against the officers. It demands that the incident be treated as a serious criminal offense and that the perpetrators receive the punishment they deserve. It also says there must be command and political accountability from the leaders of “MVR-VMRO”, as well as the immediate resignation of Minister of Internal Affairs Panče Toškovski and Deputy Minister Astrit Iseni.

The Albanian League has called on diplomatic representatives of European countries, the United States and the EU to respond in order to prevent what it describes as this police government’s dark anti-Albanian scenarios.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Helsinki Committee and other international organizations are being asked to document and report the criminal violence inflicted by police on young Albanians, whose most basic rights, including the right to life and health, have also allegedly been violated, according to the Albanian League. The Albanian League announced that, regarding this issue, it had sent an official letter to diplomatic missions and international organizations accredited in the country.