What happened: According to the media, when the bus No. 55 returned from village Arachinovo, it
was carrying participants of a political rally that was held in Arachinovo short time prior the incident.
After the passengers demounted the bus, local community members gathered and a massive fight
broke out. Shortly after, the Police intervened, thus preventing further escalation of the incident. The
media states that the surrounding communities feel endangered and insecure due to the incident
and the increased police presence. Later, the Police made a public statement that the incident was
a ‘major disturbance of the public peace and order’.
Date, time and location of the incident: April 22th, village of Brnjarci, Skopje.
Source of information: National electronic media kurir.mk, local electronic media lokalno.mk.
Victim(s) involved: Unknown number of victims on both sides.
Type of the crime(s): Participation in a fight Art. 132 CCRM, Bodily harm (Art. 130), Endangerment of
safety (Art.144), Damaging of other’s property (Art. 243).
Perpetrator(s): Unknown number of perpetrators, possibly on both sides.
Brief description of incident with bias indicators: The bias motive in this incident is political affiliation
and political persuasion, and the bias indicators in this incident are:
1. Victim/Witness perception – the victims were engaged in activities promoting their political affiliation
prior the incident.
2. Location and timing – the incident occurred a short time after a change in political minority presence
in the village of Brnjarci.
3. Lack of other motives.
Status of the case: Under investigation.
Response of local authorities: The Ministry of Interior stated via Answer upon a Request for
information of public character sent by the Committee that they are undertaking the necessary
measures for clarification of the case, noting that this criminal act resulted with minor material
damage, and therefore, requires private indictment for judicial processing. However, there has been
no answer as to the fact that indicates to the possible motive of the crime.
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 different groups in the society.
