The role of the state is very important, the society we create and the direction we assume, primarily for young people. We, politicians, can help by providing sufficient evidence for the reopening of processes and cases through the Parliament or the Government, whereas prosecutors should decide based on that evidence and courts should give the verdicts accordingly, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev told a Q&A session in Parliament on Thursday.

Alternativa MP Skender Rexhepi quizzed PM Zaev on the “Monster” case, in which the verdicts were delivered earlier in the week.

Zaev said there was no influence or attempt to influence in the case or any other for that matter, adding that everyone gets an opportunity to present evidence and arguments, with an entirely different set of prosecutors and judges retrying the case.

“This is one of the cases that has been retried. All transcripts, the so-called ‘bombs’ were presented during a public session in court. I followed the process because it is a sensitive one, both for the families who lost their children and the defendants, some of whom have been sentenced while other acquitted,” noted Zaev.

According to him, the judiciary is the one that makes the decisions.

“If the entire system is unfoundedly questioned and hopes are falsely raised, then I ask why didn’t you do anything in the year when we worked together. This is not my or your job but of the prosecution and the court. We have to know that politicians should get their hands off the courts and the prosecution, because they are the ones in charge of the processes,” said Zaev.

He added that the right to protest is there in democratic countries like North Macedonia, but “we should be cautious not to endanger many other rights of any ethnicity in our country”.