Macedonia’s Public Prosecution Office said on March 27 it has filed indictments against 30 people for their involvement in the parliament violence last April, when around 100 people were injured including several MPs. Most of them are indicted for making a “terrorist threat to the constitutional order” and can face prison sentences of up to 10 years.

Among those injured when angry demonstrators broke into the parliament on April 27 were the then opposition leader Zoran Zaev, who is now prime minister, and Radmila Sekerinska, who now serves as defence minister, as well as other MPs. 

The violence started after the parliamentary majority, led by Zaev’s Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM) elected Talat Xhaferi from the ethnic Albanian Democratic Union for Integration (DUI) as speaker, which opened the way for Social Democrats to form a government. Conservative VMRO-DPMNE, which had ruled since 2006, narrowly won the December 2016 snap election, but failed to form a government due to the lack of support from ethnic Albanian parties.

Out of a total of 35 suspects, indictments were filed against 30 people including several MPs, but proceedings against four people were interrupted as they were not available to the prosecution authorities, and the procedure was stopped for one MP because there was not sufficient evidence of her involvement, the prosecution office said.

Twenty-eight people have been indicted for making a terrorist threat, while indictments against two people relate to providing help for the same criminal act.

Public prosecutor Ljubomir Jovevski said those indicted threatened the constitutional order and provoked insecurity and fear.

“The thorough investigation showed that those indicted acted with one aim and were conducting coordinated actions,” Jovevski said in a live TV broadcast.

With their actions they threatened the life of lawmakers, journalists and employees of the parliament, who at that moment were present in the press room where the main incident happened, the prosecutor added. 

According to the indictment, organisers of the movement For Common Macedonia used provocative rhetoric to incite anger and hostility among protesters in front of the parliament. The protests were against the formation of a new government led by the SDSM and against the election of Xhaferi as speaker.

According to prosecutors, five of the indicted MPs, together with others who have been indicted from the parliament security, opened two doors of the parliament and enabled the protesters to enter the assembly. Those indicted also gave instructions to the angry demonstrators, directing them to the press room where the main incident happened.

The prosecutors say that one person pulled a gun with the aim of shooting Zaev, but Zaev’s bodyguards prevented the attack.

The prosecution office asked the court to prolong the detention and house arrest for those indicted.

A day earlier, the Supreme Court ordered ex-interior minister Mitko Cavkov, two VMRO-DPMNE MPs and several interior ministry employees indicted in the case to be released from detention and put under house arrest. Two other opposition MPs and organisers of the protests For Common Macedonia had already been released from detention. However all have been indicted after being arrested four months ago. 

Following the detentions, VMRO-DPMNE launched protests and boycotted the work of the parliament claiming political pressure. VMRO's boycott is threatening the work of the parliament and thus political stability.

The SDSM came to power at the end of May 2017, ending a decade of rule by the conservative VMRO-DPMNE. The SDSM has long claimed that people close to its conservative rival were behind the parliament incidents, although VMRO has denied any role in the violence.