The Macedonian Ministry of the Interior (MoI) announced that an internal review has been initiated regarding the disturbing incident involving the assault of two young Albanians, and that those responsible will be punished.
Opposition parties DUI and the Alliance for Albanians publicized the incident, describing it as a case of police brutality and demanding punishment for those responsible.
According to a statement by DUI, which also released a video filmed from a distance of about ten meters, the internal police report claims the young men had taken a police officer’s service weapon.
The young men, however, claim the weapon ended up in their vehicle after police smashed the window. According to their accounts, police officers fired their weapons, slashed the car’s tires, and then handcuffed and forced them onto the ground, where they were subjected to abuse. The two young Albanians are 21 and 23 years old.
The Netpress news agency has learned that the primary assailant is an ethnic Albanian.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of the Interior (MoI) says that Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski has ordered the Department for Internal Control, Criminal Investigations, and Professional Standards to investigate the case.
The department is taking measures and actions to fully establish the facts and circumstances of the incident, as well as to determine any potential liability on the part of the involved police officers. Once the facts have been established, appropriate measures will be taken in accordance with legal regulations, and the public will be informed in a timely manner, the Ministry of Interior adds.