Threats against MPs on Facebook

What happened: The Cyber Crime and Digital Forensics Department at the Ministry of Interior in
coordination with the Primary Public Prosecutor’s Office – Kumanovo undertook measures and
activities on the grounds of a post shared on Facebook by A.B. (36) from Kumanovo, which resulted
in endangering the safety of MPs from the Assembly of the Republic North Macedonia and on the
grounds of spreading racial and xenophobic materials via an information system, i.e. reasonable
suspicion for the criminal offence of “Endangering the Safety” under Article 144 and “Spreading
Racial and Xenophobic Material via an Information System” under Article 394 from the Criminal
Code of RNM.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office – Kumanovo on 15.01.2019 issued an order for A.B. to be
called to an official conversation at a police station, whereupon several objects were seized with
the purpose of gathering evidence. After the case was documented, criminal charges were pressed
against A.B.
Date, time and place of incident: Precisely undetermined date and time, on the social network
Facebook, MOI pressed charges on 15.01.2019.
Source of information: MOI’s daily newspaper.
Victim(s) involved: Unknown.
Type of crime(s): Endangering the Safety (Article 144 paragraph 4, CC of RNM), Spreading Racial and
Xenophobic Material via an Information System (Article 394-d CC of RNM).
Perpetrators: One identified perpetrator (А.B. 36).
Brief description of the event with bias indicators: In this incident the bias motive is political
affiliation, with the bias indicators being:
1. Pattern of previous incidents – inciting and spreading ethnic hatred and inciting violence
on social networks is becoming a more common method of committing hate crimes.
Status of the case: Criminal charges were pressed. The crime offence was qualified as a hate crime.
Response of the local authorities: Proper criminal charges were pressed for the crime offence cited
(Article 144, Endangering the safety and Article 394-d Spreading Racial and Xenophobic Material via
an Information System). The crime was qualified as a hate crime.
Impact on the victims and the community: These types of incidents call into question the general
safety in the country and the political stability in the country.