Macedonia Puts Mob Invaders of Parliament on Trial

Thirty people, including the former interior minister and police chief Mitko Cavkov, five opposition MPs, police employees and activists, went on trial on Wednesday, accused of storming Macedonia's parliament on April 27 last year.

At the start of the session in Skopje's Criminal Court, defence lawyers complained of not recieving all the evidence and not being able to deliver their opening speeches. They called for the session to be postponed, but the court rejected their request.

The accused will shortly deliver pleas of guilty or not guilty - some of them to charges of "endangering the constitutional order and safety of Macedonia".

Security around the court was tight, as about 100 supporters of the accused gathered in front of the building to protest against what they called the unjust trial of patriots.

As the police started bringing the accused before the court, their supporters sang patriotic songs, chanted "Freedom" and carried banners with the same message.

The attack on parliament in April 2017 happened at a time of high political tension, as the former ruling right-wing VMRO DPMNE party attempted desperately to stop the Social Democrats from forming a government.

VMRO DPMNE supporters stormed the building only minutes after the new majority in parliament had elected Talat Xaferi as the new speaker - paving the way for the election of the new Social Democrat-led government, which eventually took office in May.

The mob injured some 100 people, including ten MPs as well as journalists. The leader of the Social Democrats, the current Prime Minister, Zoran Zaev, was among those injured.

The prosecution in March said that during the attack, top police officials including Mitko Cavkov failed to dispatch more police...