Convicted Nikola Gruevski fled to Hungary through Albania and Montenegro. This was confirmed also by the Albanian and Montenegrin police, adding that an international arrest warrant for him hadn’t been issued at that moment. The Hungarian authorities yesterday announced that Gruevski, who is convicted to two years prison in the case “Tank” of the Special Prosecutor’s Office, has submitted a request for asylum and that a legal procedure has been initiated. According to official data, the escape took place on November 11, when Gruevski crossed the Albanian-Montenegrin border.

Albanian President Ilir stated that Gruevski’s passing through Albania is a question for the appropriate responsible bodies in Albania, adding that Gruevski’s departure from Macedonia is acknowledging fault on his part.

The President of the Parliament of Republic of Macedonia, in an interview for Alsat, stated that he does not believe that Hungary, as a member of the European Union, will grant asylum to former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski.

“Hungary is a member of the EU and NATO, and in order to participate in these communities, it is considered that its decisions should be according to the European values, and I do not believe that the Hungarian people will accept to have a black stamp put on its fate and status, as a European community, by granting asylum to Nikola Gruevski”, said Xhaferi.

At today’s press conference, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev publically asked “Did Gruevski leave the country voluntarily or was he kidnapped?”.

“If Nikola Gruevski entered illegally in the country, according to the Hungarian legislation, he should be in a Serbian refugee camp, and not in Budapest”, the legal expert contacted by Hungarian journalists was decisive.

Almost all of the countries from the region, though partially, have come out with official information on the way in which former prime minister Nikola Gruevski has crossed the border. Only Hungary and Macedonia are still not revealing any information.

Based on official and unofficial information of police sources of the neighboring countries, CIVIL Media and Drejt have made a Projection of the route Gruevski’s travelled, which you can follow in a visual manner on the maps shown, along with the possible border crossings he might have passed.

Today International Day for Tolerance is marked. This day is just a reminder of the political and social environment in which we live in tendentiously striving towards hate-motivated violence. CIVIL – Center for Freedom calls on the institutions to take measures and responsibility and to leave the practice of impunity for crimes resulting from hatred. CIVIL also calls on the citizens, its supporter, members and activists to go out and support the tenth March of Tolerance and to jointly send out a message that we will not allow to be victims of hatred that leads to chaos and destruction.

М. I.