What happened: On an orthodox day of celebration, unknown perpetrators vandalized approximately
twenty orthodox graves.
Date, time and location of the incident: February 22nd, in the village of Brnjarci (bordering with the
village of Arachinovo) in Skopje.
Source of information: The national media mkd.mk, falanga.mk, novini.mk.
Victim(s) involved: Except the material damage, there were no direct victims in this incident.
Type of the crime(s): Damaging of other’s property Art. 243 CCRM, Vandalizing graves, Art. 400 CCRM.
Perpetrator(s): Unknown.
Brief description of incident with bias indicators: In this incident, the bias motive is the religious
affiliation and religious persuasion, and the bias indicators are:
1. Victim perception – From the statements made for the media, it can easily be derived that the
indirect victims – the Macedonian population in the village of Brnjarci, perceive the incident as bias
motivated.
2. Location and timing – The incident followed a religious holiday and occurred at a location of religious
significance.
3. Pattern of previous incidents – The indirect victims stated that this kind of incident occurs during
almost every funeral or orthodox holiday.
Status of the case: Under investigation.
Response of local authorities: The case was reported to the authorities.
Impact on the victim(s) and the community: This type of incidents brings into question the general
security situation in the country and the cohabitation between the Macedonians, on one side and
the Albanians as the two largest ethnic communities in the society.
