Skopje, 22 October 2024 (MIA) – Trial against the men accused of organizing the April 27 Parliament storming was rescheduled for November 14 after three defendants, including Spiro Ristovski, Trajko Veljanoski and Mile Janakieski, filed a request to the Skopje Criminal Court to decide at today’s hearing upon the amnesty petition without material and verbal evidence being presented. 

Judge Ilija Trpkov, president of the council of judges, said the defendants in the petition stated that it is necessary the Court to decide on the application of the law on amnesty noting the Criminal Court had already done so after in 2018 passing an amnesty decision during the main hearing as evidence was being presented.  

“I’ve read the petition and it’s true that an amnesty decision was passed during the process of evidence being presented not only for the defendant in the named case, but also for other defendants. However, the public prosecutor should voice his opinion since we received this petition today,” said judge Trpkov.

Former parliament speaker Trajko Veljanoski, former ministers Mile Janakieski and Spiro Ristovski and the ex-head of the former security and counterintelligence agency, Vladimir Atanasovski, are standing trial.

They are charged with “terrorist endangerment of the constitutional order and security”. 

In April, the Appellate Court rescinded the first-instance verdict, handed down in July 2021, under which Veljanoski was sentenced to 6,5 years in prison; Janakieski and Ristovski to 6,3 years, and Atanasovski to six years in prison. Also, a retrial was ordered. 

MIA file photo