What happened: Two asylum-seekers, placed in the Reception Center for asylum seekers Vizbegovo,
were beaten and robbed by four unknown persons near Bit Pazar in Skopje. The refugees had visible
injuries on their bodies. After the robbery, the attackers headed in an unknown direction. The case
was reported to the police but was not published in MOI’s Daily Newsletter.
Date, time and location of the incident: 17 November, around 13:20, near Bit Pazar, Skopje.
Source of information: A representative from the Non-government Organization Legis.
Victim(s) involved: Two persons – asylum-seekers.
Type of the crime(s): Robbery (Article 237, CC), Bodily injury (Article 130, CC).
Perpetrator(s): 4 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 (refugees, asylum seekers) 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: Not registered.
Response of Local Authorities: In MOI’s response to the Committee’s request for public information
regarding this incident, it is stated that the incident in question had not been reported to the general
police station of the city of Skopje.
Impact on the victim(s) and the community: This incident calls into question the safety of migrants
entering and passing through the country.
