Hundreds of people protested on Friday afternoon in the capital of North Macedonia, demanding justice for victims of road accidents, harsher sentences for perpetrators, and a review of court decisions.
The protest, on the "Aradhet Partizane" boulevard in Skopje, comes after a 22-year-old woman was hit and killed by a car at a pedestrian crossing in the capital on January 29.
Some of the protesters held banners with inscriptions such as: "It's not an accident, it's murder", "Prosecutors = murderous accomplices".
Minister of Internal Affairs, Pance Toshkovski, said that responsibility must fall on all those who are part of the system.
"Anger is understandable, distrust in institutions is justified, but this should not end only with writing angry statuses on social networks and with protests that will last for several days. Everyone in the system must bear their responsibility," said Toshkovski.
Frosina Kalukova, from the village of Negotina, municipality of Vrapçisht, lost her life after being hit by a car driven by a 20-year-old man with the initials VJ.
According to the Public Prosecutor's Office, the young man did not have a driver's license, was under the influence of alcohol, exceeded the speed limit and ran a red light.
The prosecution has requested a one-month detention for the 20-year-old.
"The 20-year-old suspect, as a participant in public road traffic, drove a 'Peugeot 207' vehicle owned by his father in the right lane of the boulevard. He was driving the vehicle without a driver's license and under the influence of alcohol with a blood alcohol content of 0.82 per mille in his urine, endangering people's lives," the Prosecution said on January 30.
The Helsinki Committee reacted by emphasizing that the phenomenon of impunity, rooted in society for decades, brought about another tragedy in which a 22-year-old woman lost her life.
"Such a slide in the legal system clearly shows the failure of institutions to take appropriate measures to prevent further traffic crimes," say the Helsinki Committee.
The traffic accident in which Frosina Kulakova lost her life is not the first to cause reactions and anger among citizens. Several young people have lost their lives on the same boulevard in Skopje in recent years.
In 2015, student Frosina Cekovska was fatally hit by a 26-year-old driver, who was also under the influence of alcohol and driving at a speed higher than the speed limit.
On the same boulevard, but near the City Mall shopping center, 24-year-old Viktorija Nikolova was fatally hit in January 2022. The 22-year-old driver, according to the Prosecutor's Office, was driving the vehicle at a speed exceeding the permitted speed limit at the time of the incident.
VJ had caused another traffic accident
However, the citizens' revolt was directed at the competent institutions, as the person suspected of the accident had previously been in detention, as well as in a correctional facility, in Tetovo, for another offense - the production and distribution of narcotic drugs.
The Prosecution had filed another criminal report against him on February 2, 2023, for a traffic accident, in which a person suffered minor injuries.
The public prosecutor had conducted the procedure and, with the consent of the injured party, had made a decision not to prosecute, agreeing to pay an amount of 292 euros in favor of the state budget.
Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski stated that the "Safe City" system will soon be put into operation, through which institutions will be able to sanction car vandalism on the streets of Skopje.
"The Ministry of Internal Affairs is implementing this as a procedure, and soon we will have such a system that will sanction this type of vandalism. And this must happen. Every time we receive political bullets, we must install, implement and adopt a punitive policy that will be rigorous, because even if we save one life, we have achieved the goal," Mickoski declared on January 31.
On the other hand, the opposition Social Democratic League (SDSM) demanded the maximum sentence for the perpetrator and supported the citizens' revolt.
"We support the citizens' demands for greater justice and security. In a sign of solidarity, the Social Democratic Youth of Macedonia (SDSM) will join the protest. It is time for responsibility," the SDSM statement said.
Mickoski asked that the case not be politicized./ REL (A2 Televizion)
A2 CNN Livestream
MUND TE LEXONI GJITHASHTU
