Macedonian opposition party to block borders in protest over MP arrests

By bne IntelliNews December 21, 2017

Macedonia’s main opposition party, VMRO-DPMNE, has threatened to block border crossings this week in protest at the recent arrests of several of its MPs in relation to violence in the parliament at the end of April.

Several opposition MPs were put in 30-day detention alongside other supporters of VMRO-DPMNE for storming the parliament on April 27, an incident which left 100 people injured. A total of 36 people were charged with posing a terrorist threat to the constitutional order and security.

VMRO-DPMNE supporters said they would block the border crossing with Greece, at Gevgelija, from 4pm to 6pm on December 20 and conduct an action on December 24, news agency MIA reported, quoting information received from the interior ministry.

A blockade of the border crossing Kafasan at the Macedonian-Albanian border will be held on December 21 from 5pm to 6pm, while the crossing point on the Bulgarian border will be blocked on December 22 from 5pm to 6pm.

VMRO-DPMNE says the political detainees face extremely inhuman conditions at Skopje prison.

Violent incidents in the parliament were provoked by the election of Talat Xhaferi from the ethnic Albanian Democratic Union for Integration (DUI) as the new speaker, which the opposition considers was an unconstitutional move.

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