Criminal complaint after man insulted Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski in Tashmarunista
Struga police say the suspect was detained on August 2; investigators classified the episode as hate-motivated violence under the Criminal Code.
The Struga police filed a criminal complaint against a 52-year-old man after he allegedly directed verbal insults at public officials, including Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, during an Ilinden event in the village of Tashmarunista.
"OVR Struga filed a criminal complaint against S.G.(52) from Struga for the existence of grounds to suspect the commission of the criminal offense 'violence' under Article 386 paragraph 5 of the Criminal Code. He, on 02.08.2026 at 14:15, in the Struga village Tashmarunista was deprived of liberty, after a prior report that he addressed verbal insults to public persons present at the event marking August 2," the Ohrid Police Department (SVR Ohrid) announced.
The charge has been lodged as a hate-motivated offense, which carries a prison sentence of one to five years. According to some information, the suspect is originally from Kočani but holds a Struga identity card; authorities say the acts amount to violence — defined as maltreating another, grossly insulting them, endangering their safety or committing gross violence against another person and thereby creating a feeling of insecurity, endangerment or fear among the public.
"If the offense under paragraphs (1), (2) and (3) of this article was committed out of hatred or resulted in causing a brawl, riots and damage to property of greater value, the perpetrator shall be punished by imprisonment from one to five years, it says in Article 286 paragraph 5 of the Criminal Code."
After the investigation, the Struga police decided to apply that specific statutory provision — effectively qualifying the verbal attack against the prime minister as violence motivated by hatred.
The incident in Tashmarunista occurred amid political criticism from the opposition over the holiday weekend and prompted a counter-reaction from the prime minister's party. For several consecutive years the village has been part of the Ilinden agenda of the prime minister and VMRO‑DPMNE. Miomir Serafinović
Photo: press material from the event
