While MPs in Parliament are debating on the proposal for Dobrila Kacarska to be elected Constitutional Court Judge, some of the media have published that the Supreme Court has overturned the verdict for the murder of Angel Petkovski on September 30, by a five-member council. The news was announced by Telma TV, referring to court sources.
Certain media close to the opposition point the blame for the release of teenager Naser Eshtrefi, who killed Angel, to the current government – “The justice of Zaev and Maricic: the person who murdered Angel from Gjorce Petrov is free”.
After the media reported news that the person who killed Angel was released, on the social networks there are comments with hate speech, calls for mass protests on the streets, up to comments demanding justice to be taken in their own hands.
“The Supreme Court has overturned the verdict for the murder of Angel from Gjorce Petrov?! In this period, the most difficult thing is to be Macedonian! That you very much Mr. Prime Minister for releasing and feeding all sh…. criminals in this stinky country!”, writes Komandant Mark on Twitter.
“Everyone is strong on comments on FB, but no one has the courage and strength to go out and protest and to fight for justice”, comments Mirjana Blazevska on Facebook.
“Hey, in this northish-bumfuc…. you don’t need a court, you don’t need police, you yourself have to be a court and police if it comes to that matter. If you solve it OK, if you lose your dearest, you have nothing more to lose, that’s the only solution”, comments Jovanka Navoj Orleanka on Facebook.
Eight-year-old Angel Petkovski was killed with a knife on the quay of the Vardar River in Gjorce Petrov on May 19, 2014. Suspect Naser Eshtrefi from the Municipality of Saraj was convicted to 14 years in prison for the murder. The defence of the convicted claimed that it was a matter of self-defence because he had been attacked by the victim and his father who had chased him because he wanted to steal their bicycle from their yard. The court determined that the Prosecutor’s Office had found sufficient evidence for the murder and the perpetrator, after which it made the sentence. The first-instance verdict was also confirmed by the Court of Appeals, but not the Supreme Court. The weapon was never found – the knife with which the murder was executed.
After Angel was killed, the citizens of Gjorce Petrov blocked the main street, and some headed towards Saraj, but the police prevented them. Then the anger transferred to the streets – shops were set on fire, restaurants, the street was blocked by garbage containers on fire and by the police. The windows of shops whose owners were Albanians were broken.
The question is – whom do (will) ethnic tensions benefit at this moment?
Dehran Muratov
translation: N. Cvetkovska
