Six MPs in Macedonia stripped of immunity in parliament attack probe

SKOPJE, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- The parliament of Macedonia approved Friday with 66 votes of majority the request made by Skopje Criminal Court to lift immunity of six lawmakers of opposition party VMRO-DPMNE.

Krsto Mukoski, Johan Tarculovski, Zaklina Pesevska, Ljuben Arnaudov, Ljupco Dimovski and Saso Vasilevski are six of the 36 people suspected of terrorist endangerment of the constitutional order and security in connection to the April 27 incidents in Parliament.

Although the six MPs were stripped off their immunity, according to Macedonia's constitution, they will remain to serve as lawmakers in parliament until a court verdict entered into force and unless they were to be convicted of a crime.

If convicted, they might get a sentence of at least five years in prison.

Macedonia's special prosecution office said Tuesday that it had initiated an investigation against the 36 people. Among the suspects are the former minister of interior and director of the bureau for public security Mitko Chavkov, opposition MPs, doctors, and artists.

Opposition MPs abandoned parliament before voting process as according to them, such act was a political farce with the sole purpose of orchestrating revanchism, spreading hatred, and eliminating all those who think differently.

The ruling party SDSM said that all responsible for the bloody events in the Macedonian Assembly had to face justice.

The charges leveled are among the hardest criminal offenses under the Macedonian Penal Code. A terrorist threat on the constitutional order and security carries a minimum jail sentence of 10 years.

In the violent protests on April 27, during the election of the new parliament speaker, crowds entered the building of the Macedonian Assembly, injuring several MPs from the newly formed majority. Enditem