Pakistani immigrants attacked in the vicinity of the village of Bunardzik

What happened: After it was reported in EIK Skopje, by a telephone call, that on the motorway Skopje-Kumanovo (in the vicinity of the village of Bunardzik) there were two people with injuries to the head and body, police officers went to the location and found I.A.S. and F.K.A., citizens of Pakistan, who had illegally entered the country. According to their statements, they were attacked by five unknown persons carrying bats and iron rods who took their money, on the bridge leading to the village of Bunardzik. I.A.S, who was unconscious, and F.K.A. were transferred to a Medical Center in Skopje, where it was found that they had sustained serious bodily injuries. On 25.02.2017, a doctor from the Clinic of Neurosurgery at the Clinical Center – Skopje reported that the injured I.A.S had died. The daily bulletin of the Ministry of Interior stated that measures were being taken to find the perpetrator and resolve the incident.
Date, time and location of the incident: 16 February, 00:10, on the Skopje-Kumanovo motorway, in the vicinity of the village of Bunardzik.
Source of information: Daily bulletin of the Ministry of Interior.
Victim(s) involved: Two Pakistanis.
Type of crime(s): Robbery (Article 237, CC), Violence (Article 386, CC), Severe bodily injury resulting in death (Article 131(4), CC)
Perpetrator(s): 3 unknown perpetrators.
Brief description of the event with bias indicators: The bias motive in this incident is the status of a refugee or a migrant, and the bias indicators are:
1. Pattern of previous incidents – this incident is the latest in a growing trend of robberies and attacks on migrants.
Status of the case: Closed.
Response of the local authorities: The MoI’s response to the MHC request for public information regarding this incident stated that the above-described assault on the two Palestinian nationals who are migrants was carried out by 4-5 unknown male persons, whereby they were robbed of a gold ring and a mobile phone. At the order of the Public Prosecutor, the body of the deceased was handed over for autopsy, while the other Palestinian citizen, who was together with the deceased when the crime was committed, did not want to submit the record of his report because he wanted to leave the country and was released. MoI has no information about what exactly the deceased person was robbed of.
Impact on the victim(s) and the community: This incident calls into question the safety of migrants entering and transiting through the country.