Skopje, 3 June 2025 (MIA) - Quizzed by journalists about the accusations by the families of the Kochani nightclub fire victims over police inaction and the protection of certain officials from responsibility, Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski said Tuesday the families have a right to seek answers and the institutions are obliged to provide them.

“The families have a right to seek answers; they are the ones who, alongside us, are suffering, grieving and are in pain because of what is happening in Macedonia, they hurt the most. They have a right to seek answers, and the institutions are obliged to provide them. And they will do so,” Toshkovski stressed.

The Minister expressed his belief that the Prosecutor’s Office will provide answers. However, he also alleged there are attempts to manipulate the public and the families of the victims.

“I can’t help but mention that, in the end, only God will be the one to judge for every unnecessary tear shed by the Macedonian people because certain political vultures continuously, persistently and deliberately attempt to manipulate the Macedonian public, especially the parents,” Toshkovski said.

At the eighth ‘March for the Angels’ in held by the families in Kochani on Saturday, the parents of the victims spoke out about the fact that the number of suspects was reduced from 73 to 46, noting that most of the people who should be held responsible have not even been questioned, let alone suspected.

The families stressed that during their time of pain and sorrow, they were forced to study legal norms and regulations to avoid being manipulated. They stated that all the findings they have gathered will be published on a shared social media profile.

They said they would continue their investigations and “play the role” of the Public Revenue Office and other relevant institutions, especially since, they said, the “Pulse” nightclub was allowed to operate for 217 days with a blocked account, while inspections found the nightclub was not issuing receipts.

At the protest march on Saturday, the families said they remain firm in their demand for impartiality in the legal proceedings. They emphasized that if they do not receive justice from the domestic judicial authorities, they will present the facts on an international level.

The fire that broke out at the "Pulse" nightclub in Kochani on March 16 claimed the lives of 62 people, and left nearly 200 injured. An investigation was launched after the nightclub was found to be operating without a valid license and in violation of several safety standards.

Photo: MIA Archive