What happened: 8 economic migrants from Morocco were attacked by an armed group of three
persons who got out of a silver car of the brand BMW X5, after which they physically attacked the
refugees and took away their belongings. One member of the group of attackers was in possession
of a gun, while the rest had knives.
Date, time and location of the incident: 15 January, around 00:15, near the gas station “Detoil” by the
motorway, near the village of Rechica, Kumanovo.
Source of information: An observer from the Helsinki Committee.
Victim(s) involved: 8 Moroccans.
Type of the crime(s): Robbery (Article 237, CC), Bodily injury (Article 130, CC), Burglary (Article 236,
CC).
Perpetrator(s): 3 unknown perpetrators.
Brief description of the incident with bias indicators: In this incident, the bias motive is ethnicity,
nationality or language and the bias indicators are:
1. Difference in ethnicity – the ethnicity of the perpetrators is different from the ethnicity of the victims; the victims are members of a group (Moroccan migrants) which is signifi cantly outnumbered
by citizens of the area where the incident occurred;
2. Pattern of previous incidents – this incident is the latest in a growing trend of robberies and attacks
on migrants.
Status of the case: Unclear.
Response of Local Authorities: The police station in Kumanovo claimed that the case is under
investigation, however in MOI’s response to the Committee’s request for public information regarding
this incident, it is stated that such incident has not been reported to SIA Kumanovo.
Impact on the victim(s) and the community: This incident calls into question the safety of migrants
entering and passing through the country.
