English
Following a recent murder-suicide in the town of Bogdanci, police in Macedonia are cracking down on domestic violence cases. On 15 November the Interior Ministry reported that 15 such cases had been investigated over the previous two days, with multiple people deprived of liberty.
In Ohrid, officers from the Ohrid SIA detained a 31-year-old man early on 15 November after a report that he had physically assaulted his girlfriend on “7 Noemvri” Street. In Probistip, a 54-year-old man was detained after allegedly attacking his 61-year-old wife in the family home. In Gostivar, a 32-year-old man was taken into custody following a report that he had physically assaulted his former 25-year-old girlfriend from Turkey, who has temporary residence in the town.
In the Strumica region, police detained a 59-year-old man after he behaved aggressively toward his 91-year-old mother and threatened his 63-year-old brother. Separately, a 42-year-old man and a 62-year-old man were also detained in the same area for physically attacking their wives. In Gostivar’s Cigrane area, a 37-year-old man was deprived of liberty after assaulting his 28-year-old wife in the family home.
In Veles, a 33-year-old woman was detained after her former common-law husband reported that she had physically attacked him; she later filed a counter-report claiming he had assaulted her. In Kumanovo, a 19-year-old man was detained for allegedly attacking his father. In Skopje, several cases were recorded, including a report that a man had physically assaulted his 16-year-old son during divorce proceedings, and another in which a 36-year-old woman allegedly threw objects at her husband and attempted to attack her mother-in-law.
The Interior Ministry stated that measures are being taken to fully clarify and document all reported cases, after which appropriate submissions will follow. It appealed to citizens not to remain silent about domestic violence and to report every case in a timely manner, either at the nearest police station or by calling 112 and 192.