Skopje, 3 November 2023 (MIA) — Justice Minister Krenar Lloga has announced he would ask President Stevo Pendarovski to convene the Security Council over the situation of more than 2,800 convicts unable to serve their sentences because of overcrowded prisons.

According to Minister Lloga, the convicts are a danger for society and the problem needs to be addressed, the Ministry of Justice said in a press release.

The statute of limitations for some of the convicts' crimes may pass, "encouraging the offenders to repeat the crimes," the release says.

Lloga also said he would send a separate letter to Interior Minister Oliver Spasovski and the directors of the National Security Agency and the Intelligence Agency to request they address the problem as well.

The government's proposal to fast-track the procedure to adopt the Amnesty Law did not receive the support from Parliament on Thursday. Sixty-six lawmakers were against, 17 were in favor, and three abstained.

Earlier, the opposition VMRO-DPMNE MPs said they would block the adoption of the law by submitting a large number of amendments. SDSM MPs also said they would submit amendments so there would be no possibility of pardoning the convicts sentenced in the 'Monster' case.

Minister Lloga said he would submit the bill again to be put to a vote in a regular parliamentary procedure. Previously, when presenting his proposal, he had showed lawmakers an album of photos taken in the Idrizovo prison.

"There are 2,100 convicts in prison who have already served more than two-thirds of their sentences," he said, adding that pardoning them would make it possible for "another 2,800 convicts who are on the street" to go to jail.

"People say criminals going back to the streets is wrong. But what about the 2,800 who are on the street now among us? Can they answer this? I wanted to relay the responsibility, as a minister, to those who should take responsibility for this. Today, the responsibility belongs to Parliament. And, unfortunately, they made this decision. I will try one more time," Lloga said.

If passed, the bill would set 286 convicts free and partially pardon 996. At the moment, 2,114 convicts are serving their prison sentences, and 2,813 were given prison sentences but are yet to go to jail. For the latter group, the Ministry of Justice said it was yet to be determined how many of them would be pardoned under the Amnesty Law. mr/