Skopje, 24 January 2025 (MIA) – If there are no organizers, it’s a fact that there are no terrorists. No one is saying these people had done nothing wrong, no one is saying these people hadn’t committed offence, but these people have done their time. But those who had conducted a politically motivated process should think hard about what they had done, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski stated Friday when asked to comment on the court’s decision to uphold the amnesty of the people found guilty of organizing the April 27 storming of Parliament.

He fell short of commenting whether the judge had been under pressure.

“Perhaps this should be answered by those exerting pressure through a politically motivated case to put people in prison for seven-eight years due to terrorism. They haven’t said they didn’t do anything wrong, but they are not terrorists definitely. Now that it is clear there are no organizers, there are also no terrorists,” Mickoski said when speaking to reporters after touring construction works on Katlanovo-Gradmanci road. 

The Skopje-based Criminal Court upheld the amnesty motion of defendants in the case dubbed 'April 27 Organizers', including former minister of transport and communications Mile Janakieski, former minister of education Spiro Ristovski, former parliament speaker Trajko Veljanoski and former secret police chief Vladimir Atanasovski.  

The court issued a decision granting the defendants' request for amnesty and halting the proceedings against the defendants accused of committing the criminal offence of threatening the constitutional order. 

Last April, the Appellate Court cancelled the first-instance ruling in the "April 27 Organizers" case and ordered a retrial. According to the verdict, former parliament speaker Trajko Veljanoski, former minister of education Spiro Ristovski, former minister of transport and communications Mile Janakieski and former secret police chief Vladimir Atanasovski were sentenced to prison terms ranging from six to six-and-a-half years.

MIA file photo and printscreen