SKOPJE, Macedonia (AP) — Macedonian lawmakers have approved a law offering amnesty to some suspected perpetrators of a violent storming of parliament last year, seeking to boost reconciliation in a deeply polarized society.
All 95 lawmakers present in the 120-seat parliament Tuesday backed a draft amnesty law over the April 2017 incident. But the amnesty won’t cover organizers of the intrusion and protesters who committed physical violence.
According to the new law, people suspected of participating in the melee, who are on trial before Skopje’s criminal court, can now file requests for amnesty.
A total of 33 people — including conservative opposition lawmakers and supporters — are on trial over the incident, when an angry mob stormed parliament to block the election of a new speaker. More than 100 people, including lawmakers, were injured.
